Cursed Alchemist
by Sokkasm
Summary: Edward Elric lands in the avatar world, somehow, and is mistaken as the avatar. He then is stuck helping the place he desperately wants to leave. Ed's point of view. Rated T for language. SPOILER WARNING! Do not read if you haven't seen the end of ATLA and up to at least episode 26 of FMA Brotherhood.
1. Fire Freaks

Fire Freaks

Edward Elric opened his bright eyes with a flash, having no idea where he was, or how he got there. The last thing he remembered was a blinding flash of white light, and being hectically deconstructed into a foreign place.

This strange place didn't feel like Central, or Amestris, for that matter. The air was hot and humid, which felt most uncomfortable on his searing automail. Edward looked at his arm, and suddenly panicked. He quickly rolled up the red coat's right sleeve, and sighed with relief. He did the same with his left pant leg, and proceeded to wipe the sweat off of his forehead. The automail was fine; not even a scratch!

"Winry won't be killing me after all." Ed spoke out loud in the forest, to nobody in particular.

There were no signs of civilization in any direction of the forest. Ed was starting to worry. Sure, he had survived a month on that dreaded island, and faced deranged killers; but, this time was different. He was in a strange place, and without Al.

Ed looked up at the sky, past the green trees, and watched the fading sun. "Al! Where are you? Where the hell am I?!" He waited for a response. The birds and other animals went silent for a moment, surprised by the noise, but soon went back to calling.

The only logical thing for Ed to do next was to create a shelter. He looked around, even though he knew nobody was there, and clapped his hands. Blue light crackled as a large earth tent formed from the ground. Satisfied with the results, the young alchemist sat inside the tent, and stared into the forest. He could have sworn he saw movements in the shadows and kept his hands ready for a quick transmutation.

An hour had passed, the sun had finally set. The heat of the day vanished, and a cold breeze started to sweep in. Ed shivered and held his automail shoulder. For once in his life, he wished that damned colonel was here. Then again, he wouldn't be able to stand that smug face of Mustang's when the Fullmetal Alchemist asked him for help.

Fire wasn't that hard to make; Ed had done it before on the island, and without alchemy. So, he collected dry wood, and piled it up. With some quick calculations, Ed clapped his hands and started a small warm fire. The only thing that was missing was food; he'd have to deal with that in the morning.

Just as Ed was drifting off to sleep, a flaming arrow dug into the ground inches away from the groggy boy. Ed jumped, forgetting he was in a tent, and bumped his head hard. He placed his cool metal arm over the bump, and took an awkward fighting stance. What kind of coward ambushed somebody sleeping in the dead of night, anyway?

As far as he could tell, Ed was surrounded by a bunch of guys dressed in red armor. They held up their hands defensively, without weapons in sight. Ed knew he could take these guys easily.

"Hey, kid, make this easy for us and…" The soldier in uniform was cut off.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SHRIMP SO TINY…!" Ed's rant was cut short by one of the men yelling, "Fire!" and a cascade of arrows came flying from hidden archers in the trees. Ed clapped his hands and created a giant rock barrier. Unfortunately, some of the arrows managed to hit their mark and snagged Ed's red coat. The call to fire was yelled once again. The arrows were easy to dodge. These guys were amateurs.

Using pillars of rock, Ed managed to knock down the bastard archers from their stupid perches. Laughing rather manically, Ed waited for the weirdly dressed soldiers to tuck tail and run away. What he wasn't expecting was fire to come shooting out of their hands. Shocked, Ed's feet were glued to the ground. They weren't like Mustang, as they didn't wear gloves or have tattoos with transmutation circles on them. While trying to figure out the logic of the fire alchemy, the soldiers seized their chance. They attacked from behind, and piled on top of Edward. He used his metal arm and leg to swing at his attackers. Those unfortunate enough to feel the impact were knocked out instantly.

Crashing through the trees came more soldiers, and a very large lizard with horns sticking out of its face. It had to be a chimera, but what animals did they use? The creature came closer, and more soldiers attacked. Ed stood up, and yelled, "What the hell is that?!" His answer came in the form of someone knocking him out with a blow to the head.

* * *

His head was throbbing. There were mumbled voices all around him, making Ed's headache worse. He tried to listen in on some conversations, without anyone knowing he was coming through.

"…So the Avatar is still alive…"

"…I've never seen any bending style like that before…"

"…Some of our soldiers were sent to the infirmary with major injuries…"

"…We need to send a hawk to the Firelord immediately…"

"…He doesn't match the description. That's some weird hair he's got…"

"…How can a runt like him be a threat to the Fire Nation?" At the dreaded word 'runt', Ed's golden eyes snapped open.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A RUNT SO SMALL HE COULD RIDE A FLEA LIKE A HORSE?!" Ed tried to attack, but realized his hands were chained. "COME UNTIE ME, AND FACE ME, YOU FIRE FREAK COWARDS!" All of the soldiers stared at the bound boy, shocked. Some even flinched and backed away. "COME AT ME, YOU BASTARDS!" One of the soldiers motioned the others to leave the room. Once they left, the commanding officer walked up to Ed.

"So, you're the great Avatar?" The man examined Ed while eating a bowl of noodles. Without meaning to, Ed drooled and his stomach growled. The man smiled evilly and continued eating inches away from the chained boy. "For someone who's supposed to maintain peace, you're rather short-tempered." Anger flashed through Ed's eyes. He lifted his body with his chained arms, and kicked the stupid man flat on the chest. The bowl of noodles went everywhere.

The soldier glared at the boy and angrily slammed the door. From behind the door, Ed could hear the man yelling, "Tell the Firelord the Avatar is alive. Keep the boy alive, but feel free to harm him all you want." Ed stuck his tongue out in the soldier's general direction, and looked at the wasted noodles. His hands were tied too far apart for him to use alchemy, but he had a plan. He used his feet to take off his right boot, and then used his toes to grab one of the chopsticks. After stretching and grunting, he finally managed to nab the stupid wood. Carefully, he lifted his leg as high as he could, and put the chopstick into his hand.

His leg hurt from bending it that high, but now he could draw a circle in the wooden post that he was bound to. As he reached over to etch the circle, there were several loud clanks, bangs, and screams. A large man with a metal arm and leg burst through the thick door. There was a tattoo of a third eye on his forehead, and the two real eyes glared at Ed with malice.


	2. The Avatar has returned

The Avatar has Returned

The freaky large man with the third eye on his forehead gave Ed a death glare. The man looked around the room for anybody else, and inhaled deeply. He looked pissed. Suddenly, a light popped out of the third eye, which resulted in one of the walls exploding. There was nothing left but rubble. How the hell did he do that?!

Ed stared at the man briefly, trying to figure out how the freakish explosion came out of that tattoo. The man turned toward to the other wall, his bright metal limbs temporarily blinded Ed. That automail was nothing like Ed had ever seen before, but he didn't have the luxury to question the man. Another wall exploded with the freak's rage. Ed finished carving a circle on the post, and struggled to touch it with his left hand. The chains around his hands were too tight, so Ed couldn't reach the circle. Irritated, Ed pulled as hard as he could with his right arm, hoping the chains would break. Instead, the wooden post bent and cracked. Ed was finally able to reach the circle, and quickly touched it. The pole became nothing more than a pile of splinters.

The man was still destroying the room, not even caring if Ed was caught in the crossfire. Deciding it wouldn't be a good idea to question the man about his weird alchemy, Ed jumped through one of the crumbled walls and ran as fast as he could into the forest. He tired out more quickly than he usually did, but that was only because he hadn't eaten any food since landing in this freak show place.

As he walked aimlessly, Ed clapped his hands and destroyed what was left of the shackles around his hands. There were strange noises in the forest from unseen animals, none of which sounded familiar. Where was he? Maybe it was Xing, at least, the people dressed like they were in the Xing region. The only problem was Ed could understand the people when they talked. Xing had its own language.

Then there was the matter of the strange flame alchemy. No one had used a circle of any sort. The man had a tattoo on his head, which was where the explosion came from, but the tattoo wasn't a transmutation circle; it was an eye.

Wandering through the forest more, Ed also began to why he had been captured. Those freaks had said Ed was the avatar, returned. What the heck was an avatar? Obviously, it had to be some sort of weapon, or they wouldn't have attacked and chained him.

Up ahead, Ed could hear the sound of people talking and he could see a faint light coming through the trees. He quickened his pace to a jog and discovered a small town. The smell of food hit Ed like a rock wall. Ed rummaged through his pockets, even though he knew there was nothing in them, except for his pocket watch. He drooped his head slightly, clapped his hands, and fixed his tattered coat. It would be less conspicuous for a normally dressed person to show up than someone who looked like they had been in a horrendous fight. Now, who should he say he is? Ed smiled mischievously. This avatar fellow might do.

Ed strutted into the town confidently and watched as people gave him strange looks. He burst into the building that the food smell was coming from, and sat down eagerly on a chair. The people in the diner looked shocked, many of them began to mumble, one even pointed at his hair. Ed looked around and saw a few men dressed up in the same uniform as the ones who attacked him. Quickly, Ed clapped his hands and giant fists popped out of the ground, trapping the uniformed men.

"…Did he just earthbend…. and bend lightning?" Someone in the crowd asked aloud. The people in the room panicked. Many left, but a few still remained and stared at Ed with their mouths open with disbelief.

"That's right!" Ed said aloud, "I'm an avatar! Feed me!"

"The Avatar has returned! He's come back to take revenge on the Fire Nation!" The remaining people screamed and ran out of the restaurant. The employees peeked their heads in the room to see the boy.

So, Ed thought, there is one Avatar (whatever that is), they said the Avatar has returned. Did he die? Revenge on the Fire Nation. What's a Fire Nation? Maybe this Avatar fellow was killed by these fire freaks. He was going to use this assumed knowledge to his advantage.

"That's right! I have returned, and I'm here to fulfill my quench of revenge." Ed yelled, then spoke calmly, "Unless you feed me." The terrified employees scampered and put piles of food on Ed's table, then retreated to the kitchen. Ed drooled and devoured the spicy food. He glanced impatiently at the servers when the food was eaten. One of them nervously set a tin pitcher on the table, and ran into the back room.

With one sip, Ed spat the liquid out and dumped the contents on the floor. Milk!

"Hey! Bring me anything else but this nasty white crap!" A jug of water was set on his table, which he quickly chugged down. Sure, it made his mouth hotter from eating the spicy food, but it was better than milk. Once Ed's stomach was satisfied, he stood up and defiantly exited the building. The streets were empty, the houses on the road were full of whispering people. Not knowing what to do next, Ed walked on the edge of the road until he met a few more fire freaks.

"Halt." The man did not seem confident, rather, he looked terrified. Ed clapped his hands and made many fists of earth come out of the ground. Ed managed to trap one freak, while the others fled.

"Gah! Don't kill me!" The man stuttered and pled.

"Calm down. Tell me how you do that." The man was confused.

"Do what?"

"Don't play dumb. You can do flame alchemy without an array. Where's your Philosopher's Stone?" The trapped man looked horrified and started to babble like an idiot.

"…Useless bastard." Ed said finally and walked away. He wasn't sure where he was going to go, and he still didn't know where he was. The road led out of the town and into the forest. Ed followed it, figuring it was better than aimlessly wandering in a mysterious forest. As he walked away from the town, he could hear the people yelling and scrambling around. This Avatar person must have been a dangerous person, if even the mention of him had these people this terrified. Ed wasn't even a bit worried about the real Avatar, since those people said he had been killed. A big grin spread across Ed's face. He was going to use the Avatar's identity until he figured a way out of this strange land.

* * *

Ed did not sleep well that night. The road kept going on and on; he thought he would've found another village with an inn by then. He had decided to sleep in the grass by the side of the road. His headache from being knocked out the other day was finally starting to fade. Mysterious creatures of the night filled the forest with their loud calls.

Ed was finally able to fall asleep, but he was not safe in his slumber. Nightmares filled his head and wouldn't end. Nina. Hughes. The failed human transmutation. Al being trapped in a suit of armor. Why did all of these bad things always have to happen to him? Because he deserved it. He committed the worse possible sin. He deserved this anguish.

* * *

When morning finally arrived, Ed stood up and stretched his aching back and limbs. Sleeping on the ground hadn't been a good idea, after all. There was nothing else to do but keep following the road until he found another town. What was he going to do when he got there? Terrorize the people until they fed him? Looking back on it, Ed felt a tiny bit remorseful for causing all of those people to panic. That, and he sort of destroyed part of the town while interrogating a fire freak.

Besides, food shouldn't have been his top priority. Figuring a way out of this land and finding Al was. It was decided. The next town Ed stumbled across, he wouldn't use the Avatar disguise. He would be just a normal citizen.

Another freakish lizard with horns appeared on the road with a cart full of people behind it. Ed hid behind a tree and waited for the large chimera and people to pass.

"…The Avatar has come back. What do we do?…"

"…I doubt it. Those people are insane. The Fire prince killed the Avatar…"

"…What if it's his spirit? They say he didn't look like an ordinary human…" The wagon finally passed by, and Ed couldn't hear anymore of the people's mutterings. What did they mean by, 'didn't look like an ordinary human'? Ed looked perfectly fine, except for his automail, but none of the townspeople had seen his artificial limbs. Slightly irritated, Ed continued down the road until he saw rooftops. Finally! He ran into the large town and tried to spot an inn. People were giving him strange looks, so Ed pulled up his hood to cover his hair and face.

In the depths of the city, Ed wandered and tried to find some food. There was a large creature that looked like a hippo and cow chimera, which was eating steaks. What a waste of perfectly good meat!

"…Everyone here eats meat. Even the meat!" Ed could hear an enthusiastic voice say about the chimera. So, people created chimeras and ate them in this place? Weird.

Ed's stomach was growling constantly. He watched the boy that spoke, and watched him take a small copper coin out of his bag. So, that's their currency?

He really didn't want to, but it was for his survival in this strange land. Ed sprinted at the unsuspecting boy and swiped the little coin out of his hands. He ran quickly, and only glanced back once. The kid he just stole the coin from had three others at his side. The kid then pointed in the direction Ed ran. Ed kept running, and made a harsh turn down a side street. Not being familiar with this city, like those kids likely were, he dashed into the nearest house until the threat passed by.

"Where did he go? That was our last coin! Toph, can't you feel him?" The voice belonged to the kid Ed stole the coin from. These guys didn't have any money except for the coin Ed took. Oops.

Ed heard a squeaky floorboard behind him, and he spun around quickly. A woman with her small child were huddled in the corner, horrified at the sight of the intruder. Ed had messed up big time. He stole the remaining money from some poor kid, and he traumatized a small child. What could get worse?

The woman finally screamed; her child started to bawl.

"T-take our money. Pl-please don't hurt us." The woman said loudly. Ed took off his hood, in hopes of not looking menacing, and spoke softly to the woman and child.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Please, quiet down." It didn't have the effect Ed was looking for.

"The money is in the trunk. Take it all!" Ed peered out of the window and saw the four kids looking at the house he was in. After hearing the commotion, they ran to the house. Ed glanced around and spotted a set of stairs. He sprinted up them and looked for a way out.

"What's wrong?" Ed heard a young boy ask. "Are you being attacked?"

"He went up the stairs!" The woman yelled.

"Damn it, woman." Ed said to himself. He used his left foot to break a window, and climbed onto the roof of the next house. With a quick clap, Ed fixed the window, and ran away on the rooftops.

The town was much bigger than Ed had thought. He ran for what he guessed was a mile, then stopped when he reached a building that had a copper roof. He clapped and made a pile of copper coins, (knowing full well it was illegal to make money) identical to the one he stole.

He climbed down from the roof and bought a bowl of spicy noodles and meat kabobs from the nearest food cart. With his hunger satisfied, Ed bought a fruit basket, and walked in the direction he had come from. He finally found the house he broke into, and left the basket on the doorstep. He figured it wouldn't be a good idea to show his face to the woman and child he'd traumatized.

Satisfied, Ed walked down the road, only to be stopped by the sound of a man yelling at him. "It's over. We caught you." Edward spun around, but saw the words were not aimed at him.

"Who, me?" A young boy asked. Edward immediately recognized the voice as one of the companions of the boy he stole the coin from. Thankfully, the young boy did not recognize him. Ed watched as the boy was dragged away by the soldier.

Ed breathed a sigh of relief and planned his next move. He was drawing too much attention; he needed to be less conspicuous. As lovely as sleeping on a soft bed sounded, Ed decided he could live without spending the night in an inn, and left the city as soon as the sun went down. When he walked down the road, he passed a brightly lit cave that was booming with unfamiliar music. He figured it was best to leave it alone and kept walking.

As far as he could gather from this strange country, which was probably near Xing, the people; could do flame alchemy without an array, they created chimeras for being beasts of burden and food, Their (what Ed presumed) leader, the Avatar, was feared, and also, dead. Blonde hair was unheard of (more proof he was far east), and everyone liked to wear red. The last part was cool, but this place was beyond messed up.

The moon was in the center of the sky, so Ed veered off the road, gathered up some leaves, and fell asleep using his automail arm as a pillow.

* * *

It was nearly noon when Ed woke up. The skin connecting to his automail was burning, but he had no choice but to keep moving. Ed stood up and continued to walk on the uneven cobbled road. He passed a wooden stand and curiously stopped to see what was on it. Once he was closer, he realized there were posters, wanted posters, covering the wood. Ed couldn't understand the writing because they appeared to be in Xingese. Ha! He knew he had to be near Xing. This definitely proved it.

With a smug face, Ed started to walk away, but did a double take when he saw a familiar mug shot. It was a picture of him! Ed stared at the hastily drawn picture of himself. The eyes and hair were colored with an unrealistic yellow pigment. His hair was definitely not neon colored! They made his teeth pointy, and his whole face was wearing an evil grin. "I don't look like that!" He yelled, then tore the poster up.

Great. Three days in Xing, and he was already a criminal. He had to get back to Amestris soon. Al had to be freaking out. If he didn't hurry, Al might replace him with a stray cat. He smiled at the thought and continued to walk on the endless road.

A few travelers were walking up the road, so Ed quickly put up his hood to hide his blonde, not neon, hair. He flagged down the travelers when they were closer.

"Excuse me! I'm a bit lost. Could you tell be how to get to Amestris?"

"Aren't you a little young to be traveling on your own?" The woman inquired.

Ed flared up. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A HALF-PINT PIPSQUEAK!?" The couple looked shocked, and they backed away slightly.

"Amestris?" The man finally answered when Ed calmed down. "Never heard of it."

"But, it's across the desert. How have you not-?"

"The Earth Kingdom is across the desert. Are you sure you're well?"

"I'm fine. Where in Xing are we?" The couple continued to glare at Ed.

"Xing? Is that a village?"

Ed snapped. "It's a huge country! So is Amestris! How have you not heard of them? Where the hell am I!?"

"We're in the Fire Nation." The woman answered nervously. They both started to back away. The man added, "You should see a healer. I think you may have bumped yor head." They stiffly and quickly walked away.

How had they never heard of Xing or Amestris? Wasn't everyone afraid of Amestris because of its history of war and violence? What about Xing? Ed was so sure that's where he was because of the peoples' clothes, food, and writing. Where was he?

Now he was just a lost criminal who everyone thought was insane.

* * *

Ed was starting to understand why this strange place was called 'Fire Nation'. It was immensely hot, their food was spicy, many of them knew a strange form of flame alchemy, they wore red and gold clothes, and many of them were hot-tempered.

How long had he been in this damned place, anyway? A week. He had a routine now. Travel in the coolness of morning, buy food from a cart at noon, relax in the shaded forest in the afternoon, travel at twilight, sleep at nightfall.

This particular night was eventful. A meteorite fell out of the sky and impacted with the ground. Ed went to go check it out and watched from a safe distance as a small group of people put out fires. He fell back asleep, thinking about everyone at home. They were going to be pissed at him when he made it back.

In the morning, Ed decided to take a break from his stupid routine. He followed the forest's edge until he was close to the impact sight of the meteor. He climbed onto a tree to get a better look. The group of people, who Ed recognized right away as the ones he stole money from, were pushing the meteor. They had to be crazy. Ed rested his back against the tree and fell back asleep.

Ed didn't know what he was doing anymore. All he ever did was follow the damn road. He had to hide himself when he traveled, and he was always hungry. His automail caused problems, too. He just had to be dumped in a hot place. This was getting ridiculous.

As always, Ed kept walking, hoping there would be food nearby. He could hear some people chatting off the road, so Ed crawled up a little hill to investigate. The sight that befell his eyes was shocking. There was the biggest chimera Ed had ever seen! It was huge, white, fluffy, and had six legs. What did they use to make a chimera that big and freakish looking? Bison was definitely the first thing that came to mind. While he was trying to figure out the animal combinations, a girl's voice yelled out.

"I feel it again!"

"Sparky Sparky Boom Man!?" Ed recognized the boy as the one he'd stolen from. Great. These guys.

"No, it feels a bit, …different." Three kids came rushing up the hill. Wait, wasn't there four? He turned around, ready to run, but he bumped into something. The something turned out to be the forth kid. How'd he get there so fast? The other three surrounded Ed.

Ed stood up with his hands ready to clap.

"Who are you?" Demanded the kid Ed had bumped into. Ed smiled mischievously. He knew exactly how to scare these kids away.

"I'm the Avatar." Ed stated matter-of-factly. "Feed me."


	3. Circles

**AkumanoshippoNiamh-Yeah, Ed isn't always the sharpest tool in the shed. Was this update soon enough? :)**

**TheGiantMushroom-Sorry, the first chapter was a bit short and was a cliff hanger, but what fun is it if it's not a cliff hanger? Oh, and I changed the picture on you. Sorry. ;)**

* * *

Circles

The shocked group of kids stared at Ed, who was quite proud of himself. Any minute now, the kids would either run away, feed him, or both. Ed was fine with both. What he was not expecting were the delayed words that came out of the smaller boy's mouth.

"Are you…mocking me?" What? Ed thought to himself.

"Fools! I have come back from the dead." Ed hated saying it, and immediately thought of his mother and her failed resurrection. "I am here to take revenge on the Fire Nation. Tremble beneath my awesome power, and feel my wrath!" Ed smiled. "Unless, of course, you give me food." Ed waited for food to be brought to him, but to his dismay, the group neither trembled, nor brought him food. They looked angry.

"He's lying." Stated the smaller girl.

"Right. Even without you, we could tell he is lying." The guy with the topknot (AKA guy Ed stole the coin from) told the girl. How did he not recognize the guy who mugged him?

"Who are you?" The older girl demanded.

"Uh…the Avatar?" Ed wasn't too confident. These kids looked right passed Ed's lie. How did they know he was using a different identity? No one else had questioned him before.

"Are you a spirit? Because I'm-" The younger boy started, but the older one nudged him hard, and whispered, "The plan!" Ed didn't know what this plan was, but he didn't want to be any part of it. Just as he was about to clap his hands, he was interrupted by the topknot guy.

"Who sent you?" The kid looked angry. Well, they all did, but more angry than before. Ed didn't know how to answer that. Technically, he was sent here to this stupid strange land. He couldn't let these kids know about his failed transmutation. That had to be a taboo, no matter what freak land you were in.

"Uh…" Ed stammered.

"Was it Zuko?" The older girl asked, with a quiet tone. Ed was getting irritated by questions he didn't know how to answer. And what the hell was a Zuko? A country?

"Yes. I was sent by Zuko." Wrong answer. Before he could say 'damn', Ed was blasted twenty feet away by an unseen force. What the hell just happened? The smaller boy looked like he just punched someone, but Ed knew he didn't feel anything, and even a simple punch couldn't throw someone that far. Ed tried to stand up, but realized his feet were trapped in ice. How did that happen? With a quick clap of his hands, Ed touched the ice and returned it into its liquid form.

"He's a water bender!" Yelled the shocked older girl. A water what? All he did was turn the water into a different state. Ed stood up, and waited for the group to come closer. When the were very close, Ed clapped his hands and transmuted a blade onto his automail arm. He swiped it menacingly at the threat, hoping they'd back off.

The kids were nearly on top of him. His heart was thumping way too fast. Panicked, Ed swung his left leg, hitting all four kids. He tried to run away from the freaks as fast as he could, until he smacked headfirst into a rock wall that wasn't there a minute ago.

When Ed stood up, his vision started to turn into black spots. His head was throbbing, and his stomach churned. He could feel rain drops on his face. The sky had been dark all day, but couldn't it have waited a bit longer to start raining?

Ed turned to face the stupid kids. Why were they so adamant on attacking him? All he did was pretend to be their dead leader and demand for food. He tripped over many rocks that kept popping out of the ground when he ran to confront the freaks. His face collided with another rock wall.

The rain was getting heavier. The older girl seemed to be controlling a big stream of water somehow. With a fluid movement, she sent an enormous icicle Ed's way. It narrowly missed, with Ed jumping out of the way and yelling a cry of shock. Was the crazy lady trying to kill him?!

His automail ports were really starting to hurt. He didn't know how much longer he could fight with the pain of his automail and an empty stomach. These crazy people were going to kill him if he didn't end this fight soon. He charged blindly, as the rain stung his eyes. Another damned rock wall collided with Ed.

The force of the wall caused Ed to fall down while he clenched his stomach. Losing was not an option. Al and everyone else he knew would never forgive him if he was killed off by a group of kids. "Sever all the pain." Ed muttered to himself, and slowly stood up.

Something was wrong. Ed felt off. He couldn't tell which way was up or down. Clenching his stomach tighter, Ed fell onto his hands and knees. Why was this happening? He puked his stomach's mostly empty contents onto the ground, and watched as something shiny flew towards him. What was that? The last thing Ed remembered was that shiny hard thing hitting his head.

* * *

The sun was shining brightly, which helped dry away the events of the storm. Ed groggily woke up to a horrible stench. His face and clothes were soaked with a putrid smelling yellow substance. He used his left hand to wipe it off his face, and inspected it. Oh, Truth! It was his own vomit. He was laying in his own damned puke! This sudden realization caused Ed to dry heave. Panicky, Ed looked around and saw three of those kids huddling and whispering. Now was his chance! Ed raised his hands and clapped.

The problem was that Ed's left hand ended up slapping his right shoulder. His arm was missing! Where the hell did it go? That's when he realized his arm was being inspected by the group of kids. "Hey! That's my-" Ed jumped to run at them, but was disappointed when he fell back down, in the pile of puke, of course. He looked back and saw he was only in his boxers, that, and his left leg was gone. Those sick bastards!

Ed drew a quick transmutation circle in the ground and created a cane. He struggled to stand up, but finally managed.

"I thought you were a water bender." A male's voice said behind him. Ed turned around and saw the topknot kid holding a boomerang and club defensively. Ed ignored the kid's statement.

"Give me my arm and leg! Now!" Ed demanded and looked up at the boy.

"Who's going to make me? You? I'd like to see you try, filthy Fire Nation brat." The kid glared at Ed and swiped at the transmuted cane. Ed pulled back and swung his remaining arm at the idiot. The kid hit the oncoming arm with his club, causing Ed to pull back and groan.

"Your whole arm is off! Give up while you can."

"This is nothing, just a wound." With a sore arm, Ed did the only thing he could think of. He jumped at the boy.

They were both struggling, Ed wished he had his arm and leg. As soon as one of the boy's arm made contact with the alchemist, Ed bit it as hard as he could.

The boy yelled and held his bit and puke covered arm.

"He bit me!" The boy's voice cracked when he yelled to his companions. "And what's this stuff covering me?" The boy turned to Ed. "Some sort of Fire Nation trap?"

Ed scowled. "That's my puke, jackass." Two of the kids came running over. The small girl stayed where she was and inspected the metal arm. The younger boy looked at Ed's cane, made a weird stomping motion, and destroyed it. How did he do that without a circle?

Without the cane for balance, Ed fell back the ground. Frantically, Ed drew a large circle in the soft ground with his finger. It was apparent that they didn't use arrays for their alchemy, so they didn't know what the circles were for. Once the first circle was done, Ed drew another circle. The kids looked at him like he was crazy. Ed smirked.

"Could you come closer for a minute? I have something very important to tell you." No one moved. The boy he had bitten gave him a harsh glare. "I apologize in advance." Ed touched the bigger circle and watched as the three kids went airborne as giant fists hit them. Quickly, Ed touched the smaller circle and created a cane with a dragon wrapped around it.

He hobbled up and limped as fast as he could to the small girl holding his arm. She should be easy enough to take down. The girl dropped the arm carelessly and made the same weird movements the smaller boy did. Before he knew it, Ed was trapped in a dark rock box.

Damn! If he drew a circle in the dark, it was likely he'd mess up and cause an awful rebound.

"Who is this kid?" The female voice was muffled through the rock prison. Ed frowned. He was not a kid.

"He's obviously Fire Nation. Did you see his eyes and clothes? Let's leave him here."

"Sokka! You can't just do that!" This voice belonged to the younger boy. And what kind of codename was 'Sokka'? "Besides. He's an earth bender, not a fire bender,"

"Then why hasn't he escaped from there yet?" It was the young girl who dropped his arm.

"He's probably scared. There has to be a reason an earth bender is hiding in the Fire Nation." The older girl spoke.

"I don't think claiming to be the Avatar is a very good disguise. What about his limbs? They're exactly like that guy with the third eye on his forehead." The one called 'Sokka' spoke. Guy with a third eye on his forehead, and he had automail. It must have been the same man Ed saw when he arrived in this strange country. "And Katara, didn't you say he bent the water?" Another strange codename. Katara.

"It could've been a trick from the rain. He's obviously an earth bender." The one called 'Katara' answered.

"Well," Sokka interjected, "he did say Zuko sent him. How do you explain that? He was sent here to get rid of us!"

"No. That was a lie." The small girl said.

"Why would he lie about something like that?" The younger boy asked. There was silence for a long time. "What should we do?" The boy finally broke the silence.

"How about you give me my arm and leg!" Ed yelled as loud as he could. He hated being useless.

"Quiet down in there, shorty." Sokka said and banged on the rock.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MICROSCOPIC MIDGET?! COME IN HERE AND FIGHT ME, YOU COWARDLY BASTARDS!" There was no response. Ed's stomach growled.

"Hey! If you're gonna leave me here, at least give me some food." Ed waited. Silence. "Please?" An hour passed. "Hello?" No answer.

A few more hours passed and Ed started to worry. It was so dark in the tiny cell, he couldn't tell if it was day or night. The cell was starting to smell awful, thanks to Ed being caked with dry vomit and blood. Did those bastards leave him here to die? He hadn't heard any talking for hours. What a stupid way to die. Starvation. Wait, no, this cell didn't have any vents. He would die of suffocation before starvation.

Alphonse. Winry. Granny Pinako. Teacher. Hell, even that stupid colonel Mustang. He was never going to see them again because he was going to die of suffocation in a weird country. Alphonse. He made a promise. He promised they'd get their bodies back. How was he supposed to keep that promise if he died?

Frantically, Ed began to pound on the wall until his fist bled. "Hey! Let me out! Anybody?!" The air was starting to feel very stale. "Bastards! Get me out of here! My little brother needs me! Please! Let me out!" The more he yelled, the more it sounded like a high pitched scream.

"Brother! Al! Alphonse! I won't break our promise. Damn it, you bastards! Let me out, now!" Tears began to swell his eyes. His words were choked. There was no answer. He was going to die in vain.

Suddenly, a small light filled the room. Fresh air burst through the small hole, as well as a small fruit. From the lighting, Ed guessed it was almost night. The hole closed back up, and Ed freaked out.

"You're going to kill me if I don't have fresh air!" A hole opened on top of the roof, and Ed sighed with relief. He devoured the pungent fruit and fell asleep from exhaustion.

* * *

After several hours of solid sleep, Ed woke up, and briefly panicked. Why was he surrounded by rock walls? Then he remembered the events of the previous day. He just hoped he could get his stolen limbs back soon.

Not too long after he woke up, one of the rock walls was torn off. The small girl and Sokka were standing in the entrance. Sokka had a long black sword pointed at Ed, prepared for anything. Ed chuckled. How could he cause any harm while in his crippled state? He looked at the girl. Her eyes were clouded. Was she blind? Ed waited to see what the two wanted.

"Get up." Sokka demanded. Ed smiled grimly.

"I can't. Not without my leg." He sighed when neither made a move to grab his leg. Deciding it would be best to listen to the guy aiming a sword at him, Ed crawled pitifully out of his prison.

"We're leaving." What was this guy's problem?

"Can't you let me wash up first? Unless you want me to give you a great big hug…" Ed glared at Sokka. He was going to puke again if he had to keep on smelling that horrid smell.

"Fine. Katara!" The older girl came over and gave a questioning look at Sokka.

"Take him to the river to clean up, the head strait back here. Don't let him draw any circles." So, they were onto that after all. Sokka then leaned down and stared at Ed. "If you do anything to hurt my sister, you will instantly regret it."

Ed watched as the boy and younger girl walked to the enormous chimera. Katara cautiously offered her hand, but retreated when Ed made no movement to accept it. Trying to get up without help was too difficult. He didn't need help from his enemies, that would be like giving up. When he was finally able to stand, he hopped a step, and fell back down again. He repeated this process several times.

They weren't making good time, and Ed could see the frustration on the girl's face. Finally, she grabbed Ed's arm and hoisted it around her shoulder. They arrived at the river in no time. Ed ventured into the shallow water and began to wash of the disgusting dried puke and blood. He took out his braid with difficulty, but was finally able to wash his greasy dirty hair. Once he was completely done bathing, Ed put his hair back up, with difficulty, in a ponytail.

"All done." He announced dryly. Katara stood next to Ed, ready to lift him up. Ed could tell she was staring at him, expecting him to lash out like a feral animal.

"Your hand is hurt."

"I hadn't noticed." Katara dipped Ed's hand in the water, which started to glow. Ed was mortified. What was the crazy lady doing?!

"What are you doing? How are you doing that?"

"I'm a healer." She stated obviously.

"How are you moving the water?" She looked confused.

"I'm a water bender, just like you're an earth bender."

"Bender?" Katara did not respond, but continued healing Ed's hand. "This place is full of alchemy freaks." Ed muttered to himself. Katara helped Ed back to camp and set him on the ground next to the unnatural chimera.

"Great. Now that we're buddies, can I have my clothes and limbs back?" Ed asked the four kids. Ed was dragged into a saddle on the chimera by Sokka, then his clothes were thrown at him. Thankfully, someone had washed them. Unfortunately, Ed wasn't given his arm or leg back. Sokka grabbed a bundle of rope and tied Ed's arm to his side.

"Yip Yip!" The boy on the chimera's head yelled. The great beast took off and flew. How the hell was it doing that? It defied the laws of nature! His eyes grew wide and he let out a yell. Sokka glared at Ed.

When Ed calmed down slightly, Sokka sat next to Ed, with his sword at his side. "Listen, you're too dangerous to be allowed to wander around on your own, so you're going to stay with us for awhile." Ed gaped at the boy. What!?


	4. Insanity

Insanity

Ed gave the kid with the sword the best death glare he could muster. His automail was resting behind the idiot kid. Maybe this was just a huge nightmare. After all, there was no way people could transmute fire, air, water, and earth without an array. Everything was a chimera. He hadn't seen a single normal animal. Even the younger boy's pet was a chimera; a bat lemur cross, Ed guessed. There was no way he was flying on the back of a six-legged chimera with a bunch of crazy array-less alchemists, who dared to steal his limbs, then tied him up. Who did they think they were? Ed rolled over and began to bang his head against the leather saddle. "Damn it, Elric. Wake up! Circles and runes! Phosphorus! Hydrogen! Helium! Antimony! Xing! Amestris! Drachma! Risembool! Winry! Mustang! Alphonse!" With each exclaimed word, Ed hit his head against the saddle. He did not wake up from the nightmare.

The kids glanced at the disoriented alchemist. Finally, the younger girl grabbed the bound boy, and smacked him across the face. "Pull yourself together, lily liver!" The slap certainly shocked Ed, but he was far from okay.

"Don't touch me, you freaks! Gimme my leg and arm before I give you all a fist in the face!"

"Is he all right?" The older girl asked.

"Heh. Ha. Ha! HA! HAHAHA! I am better than all right, you bastards!" Ed thrashed around, desperately trying to break the bindings. "I can beat you all here, right now!"

"I think he's a little-" The small girl started.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MOUSY LITTLE PIPSQUEAK?! YOU'RE A PIPSQUEAK!" Ed yelled at the girl who was shorter than him.

"What is going on back there?" Inquired the kid on the chimera's head.

"The captive's going crazy!" The guy with the sword replied.

"I'm going to land soon." Ed kept muttering familiar names, places, and elements. As soon as he felt the chimera stop flying, Ed wriggled and flung himself off the side.

"Hey!" Sword Guy protested.

The soft tail of the chimera broke Ed's fall. As soon as he hit the ground, Ed used his foot to kick himself away. Having only one leg caused Ed to wriggle around in a large circle. He was back at square one and felt the fur of the chimera. Panicked, Ed rolled away from the creature. "Nitrogen! Oxygen! Carbon!"

"Toph, stop him!" A rock wall sprouted from the ground and stopped Ed from rolling any farther.

"Freaks! You're all a bunch of circle-less freaks! Philosopher's Stone! Human Trans-!" Ed's cries were stopped short by the earth controlling girl grabbing his shirt collar.

"Stop it, you pansy! I hate flying too, but you don't see me freaking out. What did you say your name was? Elric?"

"Elric? Hawkeye! Mustang! Breda! Havoc! Falman! Fury! Hohenheim! Curtis! Rockbell! Tucker! Nina! Hughes! Alphonse!" Ed started to hit his head on the ground. When was this nightmare going to end?

"What's wrong?" The shorter boy asked.

"He's clearly insane." The older one responded. "We shouldn't have brought him." Ed's eyes were very pale and glazy. He began to mutter elements.

"He's acting different. He acted normal when we met him." Whose voice was that again?

"By normal, you mean attacking us?" The voices didn't matter.

"His breathing isn't normal." Go away, voices.

"I'll see if I can heal him." Damn it.

"No, I don't want you near him."

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Ed yelled at the top of his lungs.

"He's going to give away our position. I'll take care of it."

"BASTARDS!" Ed was struck on the head with a club, and and the island became silent. Even while unconscious, Ed still muttered the elements and thought about familiar faces. They must all hate him. Otherwise, why would they have sent him away to this hellhole? It was all his fault Nina and Alexander were dead. No, killed. Same with Maes Hughes. Ed had killed him, too. Al, his little brother, hated him. He had to, after Ed trapped him in armor that couldn't feel, eat, or sleep. Edward Elric, the great State Alchemist, was a monster. Being trapped here was his punishment.

"He has a very high fever."

"…Get outta my head…" Ed had tried to get rid of the voices and nightmares, but they wouldn't leave. As a monster, he deserved it. Monster. Weapon. Human Transmutation. Nina. Hughes. Alphonse.

There was a sudden cool feeling that took over Ed's body and mind. No. He wasn't a monster. Al did not blame him for what happened. Al loved him. Winry. She was going to be pissed if his automail was not in tip top shape. Mustang was sure to give him extra work when he returned. Ed smiled. He wasn't a terrible person. He opened his eyes and looked at the girl who was nervously staring at him. She was doing the freaky water thing with her hands, and she quickly retreated when Ed fidgeted. All he wanted to do was wipe the sweat off of his forehead. Then he remembered he was bound. He hoped hadn't caused too much damage, but he couldn't really remember what happened. Where was he? The ground was black, and the younger boy was meditating. Then, something strange happened.

"Uh, why are those kid's eyes glowing?" Ed was freaked out, but he tried to remain calm. The girl turned around.

"He's talking to Roku. He mentioned it when we were flying."

"We were flying? On what?" The girl looked flabbergasted.

"On Appa. You were freaking out the whole time." Ed faintly remembered that. It seemed more like a vivid nightmare. The younger girl and older boy walked over and stood next to the water controlling girl.

"Wait, but how are his eyes glowing? How is that possible?"

"Don't answer any more of his questions, Katara. He's obviously a spy." Katara glared at the boy and turned back to Ed.

"He's the Avatar. He can do stuff like that."

"Katara! You just ruined the plan! The Fire Nation is supposed to think Aang is dead." Ed had stumbled into a special kind of freak show.

"What's the Avatar? Your leader, or something?"

"No, he maintains peace in the world. Didn't you know about him?"

"No."

"Liar!" The boy yelled. "You said you were the Avatar when we first met you. Of course you know who he is, everybody does."

"Sokka, he's not lying." How could this girl tell? She always seemed to be the one who mentioned something about lying.

"And how'd you make that chimera?" Ed nodded his head in the white beast's direction.

"Chimera? You mean Appa? We didn't…make him. He was born." The girl was confused, but not as confused as Ed.

"How the hell does that thing fly? There's no reason an animal that heavy should be able to fly." The older boy looked at Appa, like he was almost thinking the same thing.

"He air bends. Just like Aang."

"What's air bending?" Ed had a feeling these people were lying to him, just to make him feel like he was going crazy.

"Aren't you an earth bender?" The younger girl asked.

"No. What's this bending you speak of?" Before anyone could answer, the older boy burst in.

"Alright, that's enough questions from you. It's your turn to answer ours."

"Fine. Fire away."

"Who are you? What are you doing here? Why did you follow us? Where are you from? What's wrong with your hair, is it sick or something?" The boy spoke too quickly for Ed to completely hear all of the questions. He did hear the strange last one.

"There is nothing wrong with my hair! It's blond! Jeeze-!"

"Where are you from?"

"Is this an interrogation, now?" The boy held his club menacingly. "Fine, I'm from Amestris. My name is Edward Elric. Anything else?" To his dismay, the boy started to laugh.

"Edward Elric? That is the weirdest name I've ever heard." If Ed wasn't bound, he would have punched him right in the gut.

"If my name is so funny, then what's yours?" The boy waited for a moment.

"Sokka." The other girls said their names as well.

"Toph."

"I'm Katara, and over there is Aang." Ed had never of those names before. He truly was in a far away land.

"Why are you here, and why did you disguise yourself as Aang?"

"I have no idea why I'm here. At the time, it seemed like the best way to survive. Now, will someone please explain to me how…Aang's eyes are glowing?" Ed paused and really elongated the vowels of the name. Why couldn't the people here have normal easy to pronounce names?

"He's in the spirit world." Katara said it like that was the perfect explanation. Spirit world? Ed wasn't going to even ask.

"I thought this Avatar fellow was dead. That's what everybody told me."

"You see, Aang was sort of, I don't know, killed by the Fire Nation. I brought him back though…" Oh, Gate of Truth! This girl committed the taboo. She performed human transmutation, and it didn't fail! What's more, she seemed to be intact. This place's alchemy was twisted and dangerous. These people were dangerous. He had to get out of this place. Alchemy with no circles, successful resurrections with no toll, people that glowed, chimeras that weren't chimeras. He had to escape from this insane land full of dangerous people.

"…N-no equivalent exchange…?" Ed spoke softly to himself, but noticed as the dangerous people were looking at him. They were going to hurt him, he knew it!

"Don't touch me! Stay away from me!" Ed wriggled backwards, but didn't get very far. "You guys are insane! No circles! No equivalent exchange! No toll! Human Transmutation!" He was screaming at the trio. Would these people have been able to change Nina and Alexander back? Could they restore Al's body and Ed's missing limbs? Maybe even Teacher's insides? No, these people were dangerous and insane. They would never help a monster that committed the worst possible sin. Monster. Weapon. Extermination. Hughes. Nina. Alphonse. Mom.

"…Boron. Deconstruction. Sulfur. Construction. Helium. Reconstruction…" Ed's eyes were once again pale and glazed over.

"…Well," Said Toph after a long period of silence, except for Ed's mutterings, "He didn't tell a single lie." Sokka face palmed.

"He's gone back into shock."

"…Water: 35 liters. Carbon: 20 Kg. Ammonia: 4 liters. Lime: 1.5 Kg. Phosphorus: 800 g. Saltpeter: 100 G. Sulfur: 80 g. Fluorine: 7.5 g. Iron: 5 g. Silicon: 3 g…."

* * *

**AkumanoshippoNiamh: Congratulations! You made Ed insane! After reading your review, I thought about how Ed would react to such things. So, as a result, he's gone bat shit crazy...thanks for the cookie... **


	5. Natural and Periodical Elements

Natural and Periodical Elements

**I**ron. **N**ickel. **S**elenium. **A**rgon. **N**eon. **E**rbium. That's right, these people were insane. Ed opened his eyes slightly and saw there were two low walls of rock holding him in place. The kid sitting was still glowing. Maybe he was doing alchemy with Neon somehow.

**C**obalt. **I**ridium. **R**adium. **C**esium. **L**ithium. **E**uropium. These alchemists didn't use circles or runes. But, they seemed to use a different technique of alchemy; they didn't deconstruct or reconstruct periodic elements. They seemed to freakishly control nature's four elements; fire, air, water, and earth. How did they do it?

**E**rbium. **X**enon. **C**arbon. **H**ydrogen. **A**luminum. **N**itrogen. **G**allium. **E**uropium. Ed looked at some of the areas the earth controlling girl had altered. Behind the rock walls, there was a large gaping hole. The rock came from the ground! They were still following the laws of Equivalent Exchange!

**T**antalum. **A**rsenic. **B**eryllium. **O**smium. **O**xygen. Even though they appeared to follow equivalent exchange, this still didn't explain how the girl committed human transmutation without paying the toll. Did she have a Philosopher's Stone? She did heal his hand, but the light was blue, not red. If she didn't use a Stone to heal Ed's hand, or commit the taboo, then what did she use?

**L**ead. **E**rbium. **G**old. Those bastards still had his arm and leg hostage. He needed at least his leg, otherwise, he was as mobile as a log. He realized there was nobody around him. They were all around the kid who was glowing. Ed squirmed and chaffed the rope. The rope frayed and finally snapped, and the kids were still in the same place. Suddenly, the glowing kid stood up, and he had a constipated look on his face.

"…Don't they have bathrooms in the spirit world?"

"As a matter of fact, they do not." What a bunch of weird freaks. Ed crawled with great difficulty to the chimera. Once he reached the beast, he tried to figure a way to get into the saddle. He tried to pull himself up by grabbing the hair on its tail, but having only one arm caused him to fall down. The chimera growled.

"…It's okay, Apple. Just trying to get on your back." Was that the thing's name? He hoped it wasn't hungry. Surprisingly, the chimera lifted its tail, and Ed managed to roll into the saddle. Ed peered over the saddle ledge and saw the glowy kid was no longer glowing. He was talking with the other three kids. Ed had to hurry.

He spotted his leg and shoved it into the knee port. Immediately, something felt off, and it was way more painful than usual.

"OW! DAMN IT LEG! WHAT'S WRONG?" Ed yelled, then slapped himself. The four kids yelled and ran towards Ed. What should he do?

"Yip yip?" He remembered the kid saying the same thing to the chimera. The beast slapped its tail and took off to the sky.

"I don't know how the hell you're flying, but keep doing it!" The beast grumbled. Ed then held his knee. Usually, he only felt pain when the nerves first connected, but it was still painful. "At least I'm away from those circle-less freaks." Ed smiled, but panicked when the chimera's ears perked up. The chimera did a quick turn and headed back for the island. "No! Turn around, chimera!" The chimera ignored him. Ed looked and saw the angry faces of the kids. One of them was blowing into a whistle. "Don't you land." The chimera landed and licked the boy blowing into the whistle. Ed grabbed his arm and jumped off the chimera. Normally, the impact would be absorbed by his automail, but it caused a horrible pain.

"Damn!" Ed ran as fast as he could, and connected his arm. "GAH! IT HURTS!" Light streams of blood trickled from his knee and shoulder ports. Ed recognized the black ground as being sulfur. He clapped his hands and created a large sulfur dioxide cloud to stop those kids from following him. After he was sure they wouldn't be able to get through the cloud, Ed sat down to catch his breath. His automail was leaking with blood, and it was excruciatingly painful.

Scanning the sky, Ed saw the chimera fly over the toxic cloud and it landed not too far away from the injured alchemist.

"He's over there!" In the blink of an eye, the small boy was standing menacingly over Ed.

"Ah!" How did he get there so fast?!

"Why did you take Appa!" The kid was pissed, and the other three were rushing over. Ed quickly clapped and transmuted his arm into a blade, and was successful at scratching the kid. He clapped again and made dozens of fists pop out of the ground, hoping they'd hit something. The kid, who now had a shallow cut on his chest, redirected the fists. He started to glow. And float.

I'm dead, Ed thought.

"Why did you steal Appa!?" This time, the kid's voice sounded scary and echoed. Ed backed up and tried to stand. It seemed like a typhoon had blown in.

"Aang!" The girl yelled and reached for the freaky glowing floating kid. Ed decided not to stick around and sprinted away. His sprinting was more like half limping, half running. With every step, more blood gushed out of his leg. It felt like his nerves were incorrectly connected.

The smaller girl had followed him.

"Hey! Pansy! Why don't you stop running like a girl and fight me?" The girl smiled mischievously. Ed had enough of these freaks. The pipsqueak wanted a fight? He'd give her a fight. He yelled and charged ungracefully at the girl. She did more of her stupid wall tricks, but Ed destroyed them before they managed to smack him in the face. The girl also made smaller pieces of earth pop up to trip Ed. He caught his footing each time, and was nearly close enough to the girl to throw a blow. He aimed a punch at her, which she easily dodged. She then grabbed Ed's outstretched automail hand.

"You almost hit me. It would be a shame if this arm broke." Ed felt a strong sense of déjà vu. He wasn't going to let his arm break that easily this time. He kicked the girl with his left foot as hard as he could and raised his arm to finish the fight. Just as he was about to strike, something hit him in the face.

He yelled and felt his cheek with his left hand. It was covered with blood from the deep gash that the boomerang had caused.

"You're a terrible person, beating up a blind little girl." Sokka said.

"I'm not sexist!" Ed roared, defiantly. Toph stood up and punched Sokka's shoulder. She then turned toward Ed and cracked her knuckles.

* * *

**P**otassium. **A**ntimony. **I**odine. **N**iobium. Ed was in a world of pain. He felt very dizzy because he had lost a lot of blood. He fell down to the ground and curled up in a ball. The arm and leg that he so desperately fought for was killing him. The puddle of blood around him was growing larger.

"Hey, I didn't even touch you yet." Ed ignored the voice. He grimaced and then wrapped both arms around his left leg. His screams pierced his ears like needles when he pulled out the automail leg. It was too painful to keep. After the leg was gone, Ed felt relieved. His arm still felt like it was being stabbed. He looked briefly at the girl, then back at his right arm.

Taking off his arm was just as painful as taking off his leg. He screamed again, but stopped when the offending automail limbs were disconnected and no longer caused him pain. He closed his eyes.

"What's the matter? I heard a girl scream." Oh, the voices were back.

"It was him, not me." He thought he told the voices to go away.

"Oh, good! You showed him who's boss." Go away, voices.

"I didn't touch him. He just ripped off his arm and leg! His breathing is way too slow." Damn it voice, be quiet.

"He needs help. I'll heal him." The voices wanted to help him?

"No! He attacked us. Just leave him here." No, the voices were bad. They wanted to kill him.

"He'll die! I won't let anyone get hurt if I can help it." He liked this voice. It reminded him of his promise.

"Fine. Don't come to me when he hurts you." He didn't like this voice. Bastard.

"He won't. He's just confused. Sokka, you're going to stay away from him until he's healed." The voice wanted to help him. A monster. Ugh, the pain was too much.

"You'd better hurry, his heartbeat just sto-" Ed didn't hear the voices speak again because he had slipped into a painful unconscious state.

**D**ysprosium. **E**rbium. **A**ctinium. **T**itanium. **H**afnium…

* * *

The bed Ed was on was very soft and comfortable. Too bad Ed was absolutely freezing, or he would have felt relaxed. What just happened? Was he sparring with Teacher too much? The bed was very fluffy, so Ed buried his head farther into it, hoping his rapid shivering would end. He felt very weak, he couldn't even manage to open his eyes.

All Ed could manage to do was think. He knew he wasn't in a dream anymore, this was real, and he finally accepted it. There really were strange creatures that weren't chimeras. They didn't need arrays because they weren't using alchemy; bending, they called it. The only thing that unsettled him was the girl committing human transmutation. Maybe he had taken her words the wrong way.

He wondered what Alphonse was doing right now. Probably stuffing stray cats into his armor. Ed missed Al deeply. He had almost even broken his promise by nearly dying from blood loss. Wait, these people saved him, even after all the trouble he caused? He owed them big time.

"…How old do you think he is?" The voice, no, person, asked. It was Toph.

"Not very. He's almost as tall as you." Sokka replied.

"…Old 'nuff to kick your ass…" Ed spoke quietly, still too weak to move or yell.

"He's up?" Aang asked.

"No. I think it was a subconscious response. He shouldn't stir for a long time." Katara, his healer, was right. Ed lay still with his eyes still closed. He let everything come in. Everything he had done since arriving in this land suddenly came rushing back into memory. Remorse was the first sensation he felt. He had scared the crap out these kids, then actually hurt them. Even after all of that, they still had it in their hearts to save his life.

* * *

Ed slowly opened his eyes. He was no longer shivering. The sun was starting to rise over the sparkling ocean water. He slept solidly through the night. No voices. No nightmares. Just sleep. Besides the slight pain in his shoulder and knee, he felt glorious. It was nice and quiet, except for his snoring bed…snoring bed?!

He leaned his head up and saw his soft bed was actually the tail of the chimera. No, this wasn't a chimera, he reminded himself. Its name was Apple. Ed rested his head against the fur and glanced at his surroundings.

Sokka was sitting on the ground with his mouth open, which had drool dripping out of it. He was facing Ed with a sword at his side. So, he wasn't a very reliable guard. The other three were probably sleeping in the saddle, not worrying about any attacks from the previously half dead alchemist.

A loud growl emitted from Ed's stomach. The shocking noise woke up Sokka, who stood up and flailed his sword around.

"We're under attack!" Ed decided this kid was a moron. Aang, Toph, and Katara mumbled from the saddle, and looked to see what the commotion was about. Toph jumped out of the saddle and felt the ground.

"There's no one here but us, Sokka." Katara and Aang also climbed down from the saddle.

"My back hurts. Can you heal it, Katara?" Sokka asked the agitated water bender.

"Maybe you shouldn't have slept sitting up."

"Fine. Don't help your older brother. We should get going to make up lost time, but first, let's eat." Food sounded fantastic, and Ed could feel his mouth start to water. Katara began to cook stew (hell ya!) in a small pot.

"How are you feeling?" Aang handed Ed a bowl of the beautiful smelling stew. Ed placed it awkwardly in his lap and ate it with his remaining arm.

"I'm fine, thanks." Ed drew his gaze to Aang's chest. His clothes were torn and there was a ghastly healed wound sliced across his chest. Ed's eyes winced. "Does…does that hurt?" Aang glanced at his wound and smiled.

"Nope. All better."

"I'm sorry about that. I was-"

"No need to explain now. Rest." Aang turned and sat down next to Katara. At least they didn't seem to hate him, otherwise, they wouldn't have fed or saved him. Ed quickly devoured the stew, only to regret it when his stomach felt queasy. After not eating a good amount of food in a while, his stomach couldn't quite handle being full yet.

Once his stomachache passed, he sat up and watched the four kids talk. Sokka kept on sending unfriendly glares his way. Aang stood up and walked towards Ed, then offered his hand.

"Why don't you come sit by us?" Ed graciously grabbed the hand and sat down next to Aang. The group fell silent and uneasily stared at him.

"So, why don't you tell us what you're doing here, Edward Elric?" Sokka spat out his name.

"Sokka!" Katara glared at her older brother.

Ed breathed heavily. "You can just call me Ed. I'm really sorry about attacking you." Without realizing it, Ed told the kids about everything. His first day in this land. The strange forms of alchemy. Chimeras. When he was done explaining why he used the Avatar's identity, and about his strange time in this country, Ed realized these people must think he was extremely crazy. They all looked at Toph. She simply nodded her head up and down.

"So, you're not a bender?" Aang asked skeptically.

"No. Alchemy is a science. It's a science that is based on understanding, decomposing, and reconstructing matter. There is the law of equivalent exchange, in other words, I cannot create something out of nothing." Ed drew a tiny circle in the ground, and touched it when it was done. A little rock dragon popped out of the ground, which the kids seemed to be amused by. "You see, around the edges of the statue, the ground is caved in. That caving in is like the sacrifice made to create the statue. Simple, right?"

"Looks like earth bending to me." Sokka said, but the others nodded in agreement. Ed glanced at his bowl of soup, which was mostly water, and drew a circle around it. He turned the liquid into a solid.

"See. I reconstructed the water's matter. Science."

"…I do like science…" Sokka muttered to himself.

"According to you, there is one Avatar. The only one to control your nature's four elements. If I was bending, then wouldn't that make me be the like Avatar? I told you, I'm not bending. I'm just using alchemy." Toph nodded her head again. At least they didn't think he was a nut house, again.

"I know it must be hard for you to understand, because it sure was hard for me to comprehend how things in this country worked. I think I went into shock a few times." Ed laughed nervously. "I'm really sorry for what I made you guys go through. I'll make it up to you somehow before I find my way home. I can't thank you enough for saving me."

"Yeah, considering you died." Sokka said bluntly.

"Yeah, I-…wait, what!? What do you mean I died?"

"Your heart stopped beating. You were technically dead for a few minutes. Sugar Queen over there brought you back." Toph said, while Katara glared at her. So this must be what Katara had meant by bringing Aang back. She hadn't committed human transmutation, she simply saved his life with the magic-y bending water. Ed had worried for nothing. Now, he owed these guys, big time. Why not start now?

Ed dug into his pocket and pulled out a small copper coin. He threw it at the unsuspecting Sokka.

"What's this for? Your medical bill?" Sokka scoffed.

"Equivalent exchange."

"Huh?"

"It wasn't mine to take." Ed shrugged, and watched the realization flash through Sokka's eyes.

"It was you! You were the one who mugged me!" Ed gave Sokka a wide grin.

* * *

**AkumanoshippoNiahma- Thank you so much for all of your reviews! They help inspire me to keep writing, (not that I wouldn't if nobody reviewed) Glad I could write a worthwhile story. :)**


	6. Automail and Bats

Automail and Bats

"I can't believe you robbed me!" Sokka exclaimed to Ed, who was grinning.

"I can't believe someone as observant as you didn't realize that it was me." Ed countered with a twinge of sarcasm in his voice.

"Your hood was up!"

"…I'm wearing the same clothes."

"So? Everyone in the Fire Nation wears red." Ed frowned and glared at Sokka.

"Why don't you make yourself useful and go grab my arm and leg?"

"And why should I do that?" Sokka questioned harshly.

"Because we're all such loving friends now, and friends help each other out. Right, buddy?" Ed smiled deviously at Sokka. Katara pleaded her eyes in Sokka's direction.

"Sokka…" She said sweetly.

"Fine," Sokka grumbled, "I'll grab your freaky leg and arm." Sokka stood up and stormed to the bison.

"I don't know why you two hate each other." Toph stated. "You both love sarcasm, science, and food. You could be brothers." Ed looked down, still with a slight smile of his face. It felt forced.

"Nah. My brother and I are different. He doesn't eat much…" Ed frowned and thought about Al. How was he doing? Ed really wished his little brother was here. He might have been able to prevent Ed from going insane and from lashing out at innocent people.

"You have a brother?" Aang asked.

Ed replied, softly, "Yeah."

"What's he like?" This time, the question was from Katara. How was he supposed to answer that without making these people think he was even more crazy? Sokka came back down and dumped the automail in front of Ed, then sat down.

"Hey, be careful with those! They're custom made!" Ed yelled exactly like Winry would have, and stared at Sokka menacingly.

"Anyway, my little brother, Al, looks like me. But shorter. His eyes and hair look like mine, but he keeps his hair short."

"Why'd you grow out your hair anyway? So you could look like a girl?" Sokka laughed.

"No! 'Cause it makes me look like a badass!" Ed subconsciously felt his hair, and realized the hair tie fell out a long time ago, so his hair was free and wild. He noticed Toph was shaking her head, confused.

"I don't understand. You're lying and telling the truth, at the same time." What? How'd she know?

"What are you talking about? I'm not lying!"

"That's a lie." How could this little girl seem to know every single lie Ed told was a lie?

"Well, we got into an accident, so he doesn't really look like me anymore."

"Must have been a bad accident." Aang supplied.

"Yeah, it was. In fact, it was the same accident that took my arm and leg." Ed grabbed his automail leg and inspected it.

"What kind of accident were you in?" Aang asked, curiously.

"A terrible one."

"But-" Katara rested her hand on Aang's shoulder and shook her head. Ed turned the leg around and looked at it from all angles. He didn't understand why it had caused him so much pain. Maybe it was a side effect from his moments of shock and adrenaline. Ed hoped so. He needed to get back on his own feet.

"AH! DAMN IT!" Ed screamed as soon as the nerves connected. The pain was nearly unbearable. Light streams of blood flowed onto the steel leg. Without hesitation, Ed pulled the painful leg out. Why was it doing this?

Katara rushed over to heal the fresh wounds, but Ed shooed her away.

"It's fine. Nothing I can't handle." Ed looked at his arm, and put it in to see if it did the same thing. Bad idea. The pain and screams were just as bad. He pulled out the arm quickly and looked at his automail with disgust. He then looked at Toph. She had been checking his automail out the other day.

"Toph," Ed still had trouble pronouncing their strange names perfectly. "Did you in any way, shape, or form, mess with my limbs?"

"What are you gonna do about it if I did? Fight me?"

"No, that's not what I meant. Automail has many wires inside that connect to my nerves. If any of them were rearranged, it messes up the whole system."

Toph sighed. "I might have bent the metal inside. Give 'em here." Ed handed his limbs over to the girl. He watched as the girl felt the metal while staring strait ahead the whole time. Ed could hear some faint noises coming from the metal and was relieved when his automail was handed back to him. He wasn't too eager to see if it worked, but he had to.

Putting his arm in made him wince slightly, but the pain was the normal one he felt when the nerves connected. His arm was finally back to normal, as was his leg when he stuck it back in.

Ed wiped his blood stained automail limbs with his red coat, and spoke to Toph. "I'd appreciate it if you don't mess with them again." Toph grinned.

"Sure, whatever you say."

"I'm serious. You have no idea how bad that hurt."

"Fine. I promise." Toph shrugged her shoulders, and she continued to look strait ahead with cloudy eyes. Ed couldn't help it, he had to know.

"Are you blind?" He asked bluntly.

"Oh, yeah." Toph waved her hands in front of her eyes. "I forgot."

"Then how did you fight me? How do you do your bendy thing?" Ed cocked his head slightly.

Toph sighed with a bored breath, like she had explained it many times before. "I feel the vibrations in the earth to see where everything is. That's also how I can tell if someone is lying; I feel their heart rate."

"So, you're like a bat?" It didn't seem that complicated to Ed.

"You mean a wolf bat." Sokka spoke matter-of-factly.

"Certainly you mean a lemur bat." Aang stroked the strange lemur's fur.

"Maybe a bat-adillo?" Katara questioned.

"No, just bat." Ed squinted one of his eyes. He was still never going to get used to the strange not-chimera creatures of this land.

"You're weird." Toph said. Ed glanced quickly behind him and saw a small billow of smoke rising from the volcano.

"As fun as it is to talk about my strangeness, I don't think it's safe to stay on this island." The others looked around and nodded their heads in agreement. They quickly climbed onto the bison and took off. Ed calmly breathed. He wasn't going to lose his cool.

"So, uh, Apple can fly pretty fast, huh?" Ed asked nervously.

"Appa." Aang corrected him.

"Right. Appa. The ten ton magical flying monster." Sokka smiled, but instantly remembered Ed was the one who made the comment, and returned his face into a frown.

"We'll need stop at the nearest town to re-supply. We're out of everything." Katara said after they had been flying for an hour.

"We're out of money. Except this one copper piece, which a certain someone took from us." Sokka glared at Ed.

"Stop fighting, guys. We'll figure it out when we get there." Toph growled.

* * *

During their long flight, Katara and Toph had filled Ed in on nearly everything that was going on in this land. He zoned out several times, but gathered what he thought was sufficient enough information. Basically, the Fire Nation had started a war a hundred years ago. They took over the land and exterminated an entire population of people (just like Ishval). The Fire Nation almost reminded Ed of Amestris.

The Avatar kept balance in the world. It didn't seem to Ed like he was doing a very good job. The whole world thought he had been killed! Despite Sokka's protests, Katara told him about the battle plan. They would attack the Capitol during an eclipse, because some spiritual mumbo jumbo blocked off their fire bending thingy. Basically, shit was going to go down.

Ed held on tightly to the saddle when they landed. He might have fun after all, despite being trapped in this country. When he asked Toph if he could help with the invasion, she had said, 'sure, why not?' Toph had also promised Ed that he would get to kick some serious butt.

Ed smiled at that. He could handle being awesome for a while.

* * *

**Right, sorry for the shortish chapter. (It's not like it's my shortest chapter, though.) I'll try to update every day, or every other day. I depends if I work or not. This coming weekend, however, I won't be updating anything new, because I'm going to my first anime convention! Yay! Also, this chapter was definitely not a filler, no no. Hey, look over there! Distraction! *Runs away like hell.* **


	7. Golden Haired Spirit

Golden Haired Spirit

Ed watched from a safe distance from inside of Appa's saddle while Katara and Toph taught Aang some bendy tricks. Then, out of nowhere, there was a very loud yell.

"Sneak attack!" Sokka ran towards Aang, who easily stopped the idiot boy. What moron gave away his position when trying to be sneaky? Apparently, Sokka did. Ed reminded himself mentally to never go on any important missions with Sokka. Toph and Katara seemed to be arguing about something, then they angrily flung mud at each other. Ed made the wise decision to stay on Appa and stay out of the freak show. Sokka, Toph, and Aang started to walk in the direction of a nearby village, while Katara stormed off elsewhere.

"Hey!" Toph called up to Ed. "We're going to go have some fun. You coming with us?" She sounded slightly agitated from her quarrel. What type of fun was she talking about? What did these weirdoes do in their spare time?

"Uh, no thanks. I've got things to do." Ed yawned and stretched his arms.

"Whatever." Toph said, then the three walked to the town and out of view. Ed slid down Appa's tail and relaxed in the nearest spring. It was a hot spring (go figure) so it felt almost too hot on his automail, but it wasn't anything he couldn't deal with. His hair flowed freely in the water, which irritated him. Without his hair up, Sokka had called him a girl a total of eleven times already.

Once he was cleaned off, Ed almost got out of the water, but realized Katara was sitting not too far away next to a boiling pot. She was furiously stirring the water with her strange bending power. She was clearly upset.

Hmm. Should he say something? Everything's going to be okay? He rarely talked to girls, but when he did, they just ended up physically hurting him in the form of large wrenches. Couldn't they be easier to understand? Girls could be really mean to each other. With guys, all you had to do was slug each other in the face until you reached an agreement. Right? Maybe he should try really hard to make the girl who had saved him feel better. With a few right words, she'd cheer up. Honestly, how hard could it be?

"Hi! Got any spare hair ties?" Well, his hair was annoying him, and maybe she had an extra. Katara spun around, prepared to defend herself against any attackers, but realized it was only Ed.

"Oh, I thought you were with the others. Sure, I have some." Katara got up and walked over to Appa. Ed got out of the water, put his clothes on, then sat down next to the soup. Katara came back and tossed Ed a red tie. Quickly, Ed braided his hair and smelled the soup. He could hardly wait to eat it, but they had to wait until the three slowpokes came back. It was awkwardly quiet.

"Hey, thanks again, for saving me." Ed said, for three reasons. One, to break the silence. Two, maybe hearing those words would make her feel better. Three, he meant the words, he really did.

"I'm a healer, it's what we do. We help those who need it."

"…Alchemist, be thou for the people, eh." Ed said to himself. A healer sounded kind of like an alchemist.

"What?"

"Nothing, just a memory. Where do you think those three wandered off to?" Ed's stomach was starting to growl. As if on cue, Toph came back laughing. Sokka and Aang were holding sacks, and they too, were laughing.

"Where did you get all of this money from?" Katara glared at the three.

"Toph got us money. She just scammed some of those sneaky gamblers in town." Aang said innocently.

"She used earth bending to win the game!" Sokka sounded way too enthused.

"…You cheated." Katara frowned.

"I cheated a cheater."

"You can't do that! What if you were caught? Ed, tell them how dangerous that was." Katara, like the rest, still pronounced his name funny. What was so hard about a two-letter name? And why had Katara turned to him? Probably because he was the only one who stayed behind. Damn, he missed out on all of the fun conning the con men. He'd definitely wanted to go next time if they went again. Oh, crap, Katara was staring at him.

"Eh, if they don't get caught, they don't get caught." Toph smiled, but Katara looked like she wanted to rip off Ed's head.

"How can you say that? I thought you were sensible." What about Ed made Katara think he was sensible? It was only the other day an insane asylum would've gladly taken him in. Besides, he used alchemy to cheat once when he arm wrestled a cheater with automail in Rush Valley.

"You guys need money, and I'm not making anymore." Ed dared to glance at Katara.

"What do you mean you're not making anymore money? Got a job, you lazy bum." Sokka sneered.

"You made money? With your weird bending?" Aang asked.

"Alchemy." Ed corrected. "Yes, but only once." Yeah, only once, in this land at least.

"Well, make some more so we don't upset poor Sugar Queen." Katara prepared to protest Toph's statement, but Ed quickly answered before she could speak.

"I can't. It's illegal."

"But you're the one who just said-" Toph was starting to look angry. Why couldn't Ed meet one girl that wasn't capable of killing him?

"There's a difference between petty swindling and counterfeiting money." Ed crossed his arms.

"You know, stealing is a crime. I bet the Fire Nation doesn't treat thieves like you too kindly…" Good thing Sokka had no idea that stealing was the least of Ed's problems.

"Would you get over that, already? Besides, I'm pretty sure kidnapping and binding someone against their will is illegal. Anyway, stealing money doesn't harm the economy, but creating a whole bunch more does. I've already made too much, so go ahead and cheat." Ed reached for the soup, but Katara swatted his hand away.

"I can't believe you're taking their side!" All Ed wanted was some of the soup, he didn't care where the kids were getting money from. "I'd rather you make money than them risking their lives with gambling. Who cares if the Fire Nation's economy falls?" Ed sighed. He hoped he could get the concept of why making money was bad into their thick skulls.

"Once you beat the Fuhrer Lord…"

"Fire Lord." Aang corrected.

"Sure, whatever. This place is going to be chaotic. You don't want a bad economy while you try to restore it."

"You know what I hear? Blah, blah, politics, blah." Toph supplied.

"Fine. I don't want you pulling off any more of these scams." Katara said while she menacingly held a ladle in her hand.

"Why, you fun hater?"

"I don't hate fun." Katara put the lemur on her head. "See? Fun!" Ed groaned. Katara was trying way too hard.

"Katara, I'll personally make you an Avatar promise that we won't make a habit of doing these scams." Aang took off his headband and revealed a blue arrow on his forehead. Ed wondered why that was there.

"You've got a little something on your head." Ed's statement seemed to ease some of the tension.

"That's my arrow."

"Your…arrow?" Maybe it was some type of bendy enhancer.

"Yeah!" Aang rolled up a sleeve and slipped off a shoe to reveal that his whole body was wrapped with blue arrow tattoos. Strange. First, people with eye tattoos on their heads that caused freaky explosions, and now, a twelve year old kid who was covered with thick blue arrows. What kind of sick person made a little kid get tattoos covering his whole body? That had to hurt like hell.

Katara finally allowed everyone to eat, but she just stood there with her arms crossed and a foot tapping. She looked like a stern mother who was thinking up punishments for naughty children. After all, these kids were traveling the world alone, someone had to be responsible. Even when Ed's mother had died, they still had people looking after him. Granny Pinako and Teacher were there for him and Al, maybe even Mustang, well, his subordinates, anyway. All these kids had were each other.

* * *

It was early in the morning when Ed heard Toph, Sokka, and Aang sneaking off towards the town. Ed tried to sneakily follow him, but he remembered Toph would be able to sense him coming because of her echolocation bendy power.

"Guys, wait up!" Ed ran and stood next to Aang.

"What's the matter? You don't wanna hang out with Katara and talk about how much you two hate fun?" Toph mocked.

"All I wanted to do yesterday was take a bath, eat, and sleep. Is that too much to ask for after finding out you're in some foreign land, and then being attacked by you weirdoes? I'm bored, so I'm coming with you."

"Alright! Just make sure to put your hood up." Aang spoke almost too excitedly. For someone who was supposed to defeat a crazed fire freak, he seemed too much like a child. Ed put on his hood and soon understood why Aang had told him to stay hidden; there were wanted posters of him plastered on buildings everywhere. They were all very similar to the poster he saw of himself on that wanted poster board. Bright yellow hair and an evil grin.

"I don't look like that." Ed muttered to himself.

"Guys, look at this." Sokka spoke with a sing song voice. "He's got a big reward. If we turn him in, we'll have plenty of money…" Ed ripped the poster out of Sokka's hands, then gave it to Aang.

"What does it say?" Ed asked Aang rather sheepishly. He hated not being able to read the strange writings.

"Ha ha! The shrimp can't read."

"WHO ARE YOU-" Toph's hand covered his mouth, then she elbowed Sokka in the ribs.

"You," Toph pointed her finger at Ed's face. "can't be drawing attention to yourself. And you, Snoozles," Ed quickly found out who Snoozles was because Toph had jabbed her finger in Sokka's direction.

"I can't read, either!" Toph waved her hand in front of her eyes to exemplify the point.

"You have an excuse, he doesn't."

"I can read, just not in your stupid language." To break the tension, Aang began to read what was on the poster.

"The Golden Haired Spirit…" Aang began, but Ed cut in.

"My hair is blond! Not gold, not yellow! Blond! And what a lame name they gave me. I question the intelligence of the people here."

"Right. Anyway, very dangerous. Has been known to mimic spirit powers in the form of bending all four elements. He has taken on a physical form and claims to be the spirit of the Avatar. If found, it seems the best way to keep him from attacking is to feed him. A 600 gold piece reward will be given to anyone who can capture the being. A 40 silver piece reward will be given to anyone who has any knowledge about this dangerous spirit. Take caution when apprehending him. Description; long gold hair, gold eyes, wears strange red and black clothing, and is unusually short for a spirit." Ed tore the paper from Aang's hands and shredded it into little pieces.

"Not. Short." Ed remembered he couldn't be seen and somewhat retained his composure. "Looks like I need a change of clothes." They hurriedly walked into a clothing store, while Aang walked directly in front of Ed in an attempt to hide him. They quickly bought Ed a new Fire Nation outfit, which he struggled to get on. These people's clothes were strange and unfamiliar to Ed, so it took him awhile to figure out where everything fit.

His clothing looked very similar to Aang's, since he had to wear long sleeves to hide his automail arm. Ed didn't feel right, having to abandon his comfortable black pants and shirt, and his dear red cloak. What upset him most was taking off his boots because they had made him look taller.

Aang found a large bandana with the Fire Nation emblem on it to hide Ed's hair. Ed took the bandana and took it into the changing room so no one would see the flashing lights when he used alchemy. He clapped his hands and touched the cloth. The Fire Nation symbol transformed into the flamel symbol, and Ed was satisfied with the results. Ed stuffed most of his hair into the bandana and walked out to greet the trio.

"It doesn't cover all of your hair, but it's going to have to do." Aang said after a quick glance.

"I look and feel stupid."

"You only have to cover your hair when we're around other people. Now, let's go!" Ed grabbed the bag that he had stuffed his clothes into and followed the eager kids. Sokka kept on picking things off of Ed's bag, like the weirdo he was.

"What are you doing?" Ed finally asked. Sokka held up his hand to reveal he had been grabbing stray blonde hairs.

"You're a strange one."

"This hair is worth a lot of money."

"…Right…"

"Really. Come with me!" Ed, Toph, and Aang followed Sokka into a large official looking building, which was filled with Fire Nation officers. Ed and Aang hung out in a dark corner, so they didn't attract attention to themselves. Sokka waved the blonde hairs like a madman.

"I've been attacked by the Golden Haired Spirit! Look! Here's some of the freak's hair!" Ed tried to contain himself while Sokka raved. Everyone in the room crowded Sokka to see the hair.

"Was it really the spirit?" One official questioned.

"Oh, it was horrible! The vile spirit came from behind and threatened us with his freaky spirit powers. Then, he took all the money we had!" So, Sokka still hadn't gotten over that yet; what a child. "We gave him food, and he finally left us alone, and we came here as quickly as we could." The officer took the hair and inspected it.

"This is definitely the spirit's hair. Boy, which way did the monster go?" Sokka pointed in a random direction which was thankfully not the way Appa and Katara were. "You're lucky you weren't hurt. Hopefully, we'll be able to detain him soon. Here." The man gave Sokka a small sack of silver coins. Sokka bowed, and the four quickly left the building, while a large search party was sent off in the direction Sokka pointed to.

Toph was amazing at gambling with her earth bendy thing. If Ed had never seen her control the earth before, he would have never guessed she was cheating. They had made a lot of money that afternoon, it had been a fun day. The only thing that could make this day better was if Al were here, and punching Mustang wouldn't be too bad, either. Just as they were about to leave town, Ed had a brilliant idea.

"Hey, how would you like to make 600 gold pieces?" Ed smiled, which was followed up by three more grins. Ed changed all of his disguise clothes back into his regular ones. He then had two sets of rope tied to him; one around his hands, and the other around his waist.

"Alright, you guys collect the money and I'll break out at night."

"Are you sure about this?" Aang seemed to have a sudden change of heart.

"I'll be fine. These people don't know who they're dealing with. Besides, I don't want to deal with Katara when she finds out what we were doing today." A quick 'oh shit' look spread across everyone's face.

* * *

Sokka held the rope attached to Ed's hands way too enthusiastically, and Ed could tell he was clearly happy about turning him in to the authorities. Aang held the rope around his waist, while Toph walked beside Aang with her arms crossed.

"Out of the way! Deranged captured psychopath coming through!" Sokka announced boisterously. Ed simply groaned and watched as people stared at him with both fear and amazement.

"What's going on here?" An official followed by several officers ran up to Sokka.

"We caught the Golden Haired Spirit." The guards quickly went into a defensive fighting stance. "Relax. He's bound tight, I tied the knots myself." Ed rolled his eyes.

"Come with us." The officer motioned Sokka to follow, and the guards continued to prepare themselves for an attack. They were led into a small building, and the officer threw Ed into a holding cell.

"I can't believe you managed to capture this dangerous spirit. How did you do it?"

"Easy." Sokka answered. "All you have to do is keep him fed, and he's as calm as a koala-lamb."

"I am amazed. You just caught a criminal we never thought we would actually capture, so, uh, we don't have the reward money with us. Come back tomorrow and we'll give it to you."

"Okay." Sokka seemed to be glad Ed was going to spend the night in a prison cell.

* * *

A few boring hours had passed since Aang, Toph, and Sokka left. The officer in charge of guarding Ed had demanded answers about who he was, and what he was doing here. Ed remained silent, but noticed there was a new poster on the wanted board.

There was a crudely drawn picture of Toph, followed by a bunch of characters Ed couldn't read. This could end up bad when the group came back in the morning to collect the reward for Ed's capture.

"Hey, Pops, who's that?" Ed nodded at Toph's picture. His guard was shocked that Ed had finally spoken after hours of silence.

"T-that's the Runaway. She's a terrifying girl that pretends to be blind. Why do you care, spirit?" Ed didn't answer the guard, and decided to go to sleep. He would need his rest in case the plan went bad, which was now very likely.

* * *

In the morning, there were at least ten bowls of rice scattered in his cell. These bastards were way too superstitious. The rice was bland, and the meat that was in it was very dry; weren't they supposed to keep the bad spirits happy? Giving Ed bad food wasn't a good way to keep him happy.

A bunch of people stormed through the front door, which caused Ed to nearly choke on his rice. Two people were thrown into the cell next to him, and the people were familiar. It was Katara and Toph! What were they doing there? Ed glanced at the door and saw someone standing in the doorway.

"Not again." Ed muttered. It was the freak with the eye on his forehead.

* * *

**Alright, I have some bad news. This will be my last update for a while. I'm going to an anime convention this weekend, and I work tonight, and a few days after the convention. Expect your next chapter next Thursday. Sorry, guys. *Please don't kill me.***

**This chapter, along with the others, are written late at night. If you see any obvious mistakes, please don't hesitate to tell me about them.**

**beth96108: Thanks for your review! Yes, making Ed crazy was probably one of the most fun things I have written.**


	8. The Meat Bond

Everyone died. The End.

* * *

**Just kidding. Well, I've got a present for you. Instead of updating Thursday, I'll update now! (You better love me, peasants.) The animal, I mean, anime convention was fantastic! What a wonderful experience! I've got all sorts of new FMA stuff. There were Ed, Mustang, Hughes, Hawkeye, Winry, Zuko, Toph, and Sokka cosplayers there. There was even a male Korra! **

**Enough of me, you just want to read this, don't you. Well, I'm not gonna let you! *Claps* Nothing happens…**

**A Mysterious Illusion- I like your review. I just updated. Message delivered. :)**

* * *

The Meat Bond

Rice fell out of Ed's open mouth as the freaky man glared at Toph and Katara with recognition. The man seemed to be satisfied with his findings, and slowly exited the room, but not without sneaking a glance at the blonde boy who had food dribbling down his clothes. The man narrowed his eyes at Ed, as if he were contemplating about blowing the cell up.

When the man left, Ed closed his mouth and managed to swallow the food that hadn't fallen out. Once he got over his shock, Ed grabbed one of the bowls of food and shoved it through the bars.

"Hungry?" He offered innocently. It was at that moment when the two girls realized Ed was in the same room as them. Toph frowned and placed her hand on her forehead, whereas Katara looked angry and confused.

"What are you doing here?" Katara asked in a harsh whisper, so she didn't arouse suspicion from the guard.

"Eating." Ed grabbed his last bowl of rice and shoved it in his face.

"Yes, but why are you here?" Katara's eye twitched slightly.

"Didn't Toph and the others tell you?"

"They told me you were working to get supplies." At this point, Toph had her arms crossed. Katara gave both Ed and Toph dirty looks, even though Toph couldn't see the anger on the eldest girl's face.

"Oh. Well, my reward is 600 gold pieces…"

"I can't believe you would do something so stupid." Really? Katara clearly hadn't been around Ed long enough. "Whose idea was it? Yours?" Katara aimed her whispered voice at Toph.

"Actually, it was mine. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." Ed decided to prove his point by skipping his now empty bowl against the wooden floor. It clattered and kept on rolling until it hit the bars. "Hey, old man!" Ed yelled. "Keep me happy and give me some more food before I go get it myself." The guard disbelievingly looked at the bound alchemist and laughed. Ed clapped his hands, broke the rope that was tied loosely around his wrists, and transmuted his signature blade onto his right arm.

The man looked terrified and ran hastily out of the room. "And don't forget the sauce!" Ed shouted after the guard.

After a few short minutes, two guards came back with several steaming bowls of noodles, and shoved them in the cell with the ends of their spears. Ed returned his arm to normal and began to devour the spicy food. At least they had given him some flavorful food this time. The two guards then quietly talked to each other, but they were not safe from Ed's prying ears.

"He's too dangerous to keep here. We need to ask the Firelord what to do with him. In the meantime, he should be sent to the Boiling Rock." Good, they _should_ be absolutely terrified of him.

"I'll get right on that, Sir." The man bowed, gave Katara and Toph a quick strange look, then quickly exited the room. Ed curiously looked over and saw Katara was running in place like a madwoman. Well, it was better to train the body instead of being a bum, Ed decided. The remaining guard finished writing his letter and left the room.

"…You're a sweaty, stinky genius!" Ed finally chimed in on the conversation while he ate his noodles and watched as Katara broke the wooden cell bars with her freaky water powers. Where did she get the water from? Ed knew that this whole bending thing followed some form of equivalent exchange; that water couldn't have come from nowhere. After little thought, Ed finally understood Toph's words. Katara was using her own sweat! Gross, but mostly cool.

After Katara slashed the door open, Toph came out and smashed Ed's cell wall down. Katara stormed into the cell and slapped the perfectly good bowl of noodles out of Ed's hands.

"Hey!" Katara paid him no attention and drug him out of the cell by the ear. "I wasn't done eating that." He said once his ear was released and when they were outside of the building.

"You could've broken us out! Aang is in trouble." Ed raised his hands in defense.

"I'm sure he's fine."

"No, there's a freaky assassin after him." Toph confirmed.

"You mean the guy with the tattoo that blows stuff up?" Ed cocked his head slightly, while Katara nodded her head in confirmation.

"Yeah…Wait, how'd you know about that?" Ed ran his fingers through his hair, which had several grains of rice spread around in it.

"When I first got here, a bunch of guys jumped me and captured me. That weirdo came in and started to blow the place up."

"He was looking for Aang. You look nothing like him, so he had to have been angry."

"Enough chit chat, we should look for Aang before that fire freak gets to him." Again, it felt very weird for Ed to pronounce the foreign name. Usually, he addressed his companions as her or him. Stupid strange names.

It wasn't very hard to find Aang; all they had to do was follow the noise of explosions and the sight of rubble clouds. Ed could see Aang and Sokka hiding behind a large ruined water fountain, which wasn't going to be a good hiding spot much longer.

Toph stomped the ground causing pieces of earth to fly at the assassin. At the same time, Ed clapped his hands and used the same tactic to hit the man. They were successful at hitting the freak, but he regained his stance and held his forehead. He huffed deeply, but was knocked down by the force of a rebounded explosion. The group took their chance and ran, despite Ed's protest to stay and fight.

They flew away quickly, again, with Ed griping. He still didn't like flying on something that shouldn't be able to fly, and held on tightly to the saddle, just like Toph did. Appa landed in a small forest and everyone unpacked their things. Ed changed back into his incognito clothes, brushed all of the rice out of his messy hair, and sat on the warm forest ground. He didn't have any belongings here to deal with. Ed decided to help out and got a fire started, without the help of alchemy. He started it the way he and his brother had done many years ago.

Once the sun started to fade away, everyone huddled around the bright, crackling fire.

"Man, I'd give an arm and a leg for a juicy steak right now." Sokka said as he held his rumbling stomach. Ed stood up and walked around the fire and glared at Sokka. He smacked the idiot in the back of his head with his metal arm.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Sokka wrapped both arms around his head.

"For being a moron." Ed crossed his arms and prepared to sit back down, until Sokka stood up and faced his attacker.

"I'm tired of you calling me names."

"Sit down." Ed hissed at the much taller, menacing looking boy.

"No! You can't tell me what to do. If I could, I would put you in your place." Oh, a challenger? Ed grinned. There was no way this third-rate child would even be able to leave a scratch on him.

"Why don't you then? Scared that I'm gonna whoop your sorry butt?" Sokka sat down in defiance.

"No, I'm better than that. I don't pick fights with unworthy people like you." Ed's eye twitched. He so badly wanted to show this idiot who was the boss.

"You're just scared that your mommy won't be here to kiss your boo boo." Ed cringed slightly at his own words; who was he to bring someone's mother into an argument? Then, Sokka did the unexpected. He jumped up and tackled Ed to the ground.

Ed landed with a rather loud thud, and he couldn't move. By the time he got over his shock of being knocked over, Ed realized he was being hit and punched repeatedly by Sokka, the maniac. Ed held up his hands defensively and finally clapped. No one did a sneak attack against the Fullmetal Alchemist and expected to walk away unscathed.

A blade was transmuted onto his arm. He could hear yelling from the other three, but both he and Sokka ignored them. Ed made sure to use his left arm for most of the punches so he didn't kill the kid. Sokka seemed to be giving it his all and even pulled out a club. There was a fire in Sokka's eyes that startled Ed. He had crossed a line.

Somehow, the two managed to stand up and continued with the fight. They yelled mostly incomprehensible and derogatory words at each other.

"I don't understand why you hate me so much." Ed yelled as he lifted his left leg to block an incoming blow from the club.

"Because you attacked us!" Sokka used his club to block an incoming automail punch.

"The others accepted me, why can't you?" Ed's right foot managed to hit the back of one of the boy's knees. Sokka buckled and mumbled something Ed couldn't hear.

"Sorry, I don't speak dumb." Ed hunched over Sokka victoriously.

"You bit me!" Sokka held up his arm and showed Ed the small crescent shaped scar. Ed dared to laugh and took off his shirt. He displayed his scars around the automail and scowled.

"That must suck. It's going to leave a mark." Sokka looked up at the pissed off Ed. Before either boy could do any further damage, their feet were encased with earth. Ed and Sokka glared at the perpetrators, who happened to be Toph and Aang.

"Enough fighting." Aang said simply. Toph grabbed both boys by the arms and dragged them to the edge of a cliff, and set them down.

"You two are going to sit here and talk like civilized people-" Toph began.

"Can't I beat the crap out of him like a civilized person?" Ed asked and glared at Sokka.

"No. Do anything funny and you'll regret it. Understood?" They nodded, then muttered yes and watched as the angry earthbender sat down about twenty feet away. At first, both boys were awkwardly quiet. They watched the rest of the sun set over the ocean, and Sokka seemed to dreamingly stare at the moon. What was Ed supposed to say? He was relieved when Sokka was the first to speak after an hour of silence.

"My mom is dead." Ed was slightly shocked by the bluntness, but he understood why Sokka had snapped. He felt like a terrible person; he would have done the same thing if anyone had said the same thing.

"So is mine. All I have is my brother." Ed sighed. When was he going to see his dear little brother again? He had to find a way out of this dreaded place.

"Katara is the only family I have." Sokka rested his chin on his knees.

"What about your father?" Ed could almost predict the answer.

"He left." Ed grunted and nodded his head. He inhaled deeply and reached into his pocket, pulling out a chunk of dried jerky. He offered some to Sokka.

"I'm sorry. You just remind me of some people at home who annoy me." Ed added with his offering. Yes, Sokka seemed to act a lot like Mustang and the idiot prince, Ling.

"I'm also sorry." Sokka took the jerky and the two quietly ate the meat. The stars twinkled and there was a light warm breeze in the air. A bond made through meat had been made that day, and all was calm.


	9. Campfire 'Stories'

**A Mysterious Illusion- Similar, but FMA is much more dark. I knew using the similarity would get Sokka and Ed to get along.**

**AkumanoshippoNiamh- Oh, sorry. I like to make my readers freak out. :P Since you threatened to hunt me down, I'll be watching you….from the shadows…**

**Again, thanks for all those who review! They fuel me...**

**It pained me so much to make Sokka a jerk, considering he's my favorite character from ATLA. Yes, he reminds me so much of Ling. Well, here is your update, guys. I hope you enjoy it. Sorry in advance for the feels. **

* * *

Campfire Stories

"I don't understand why we can't use a car to get around." Ed clung for dear life like he always did to the saddle while they were in flight. He received a mix of strange and confused looks from the group.

"What's a 'car'?" Sokka spoke the word like he had never heard it in his life.

"Yeah, are you going insane again? 'Cause I can beat you until you're normal…" Toph grinned and rubbed her hands together.

"It's a machine that is used for transportation. Four wheels. Smelly." He was met with peculiar glances. "…You really don't know…Sokka, do have a map?" Ed did his best with the pronunciation and scratched his head with a finger, then rested his head against his cool hand.

"Psh. Do I have a map?" Sokka excitedly grabbed several scrolls of paper out of his bag and shoved the right one into Ed's free hand. "All ready for the invasion!" Sokka announced proudly. Ed held the map steady, so it didn't blow away. As far as he could tell, none of the landscapes on the map looked familiar.

"Is this map complete? Where's the rest of the world?" Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"That's it. Are you sure you're well?" Sokka could see some of the color from Ed's face fade away.

"Alright." Toph cracked her knuckles deviously. "I'll make Crazy feel better." Ed held up his hands in protest and gazed at her for giving him the new nickname, forgetting Toph couldn't see the gestures.

"No! I'm fine." Ed looked at the strange map again. Where the hell was he? There were no books for him to look at research, as the wanted group constantly traveled. Even if he did find a library, he couldn't read the damned writing anyways. He was going to go home, and at any cost. Al probably had a hoard of cats at his disposal by now.

* * *

Ed was relieved when Appa finally landed in a field of red flowers. Before the sun set, he started a fire, like he did every night. It sort of became his job, since he could start a fire quicker than anyone else in the group. Once Katara finished cooking the food, everyone ate to their heart's content. Sokka and Ed were engaged in a very serious belching battle. After several minutes of obnoxious, but impressive burps, they silently agreed the battle to be a draw.

Katara rolled her eyes at the boys. "I know, let's tell scary stories."

"Let's not." Ed interjected.

"Why? Scared you'll have nightmares?" Sokka laughed kindly and patted Ed's back. Little did Sokka know, he was exactly right, but Ed couldn't let anyone know that.

"Fine, we'll tell stories, but I'm going first." They all moved closer to the fire and watched as the fire lit up Ed's face in a perfectly good creepy way.

"This story is a true story that comes from my homeland. I must warn you, because you might piss your pants by the end." Ed's words seemed to have little effect, so he began with his story. As he told it, the words echoed through his head, and caused him to sweat lightly.

"There once was a happy little family; a mother and her two sons. They lived in a quaint little town that had been nearly demolished by a terrible civil war. The town was small and boring; there wasn't even a library there! On occasion, a wrench monster would go around and hit innocent people for no reason." Ed glanced at the group's faces. Sokka had his arms crossed, as did Toph. So far, Ed was not being a very impressionable story teller.

"One day, plague struck the countryside. Many people fell sick and died from the disease. One day, after school, the brothers came home to a quiet house, and the smell of freshly cooked food lingered in the air. The boys walked in and found their mother laying on the floor, motionless.

They yelled and cried for their mother. A few days later, the kind woman passed away-"

"When is the scary part coming?" Sokka interrupted. Oh, it was coming, Ed thought to himself.

"Shut up an listen. The brothers sat next to the grave for hours, despite the cold air and their empty bellies. All seemed to be lost, and the young ones had no idea what to do. Then the elder one stood up, who happened to be very smart and good looking, and thought of something brilliant. They would see their mother again. They would bring her back through alchemy."

"But, once people are dead…they're dead." Katara added quietly. Ed frowned and gripped his automail arm.

"I know, but this is just a story. The brothers studied alchemy everyday and completely ignored their schooling. They even found a terrifying woman who taught them more about alchemy. She was so talented, that she could perform alchemy by simply clapping her hands."

"Wait, you can do that too." Aang cocked his head.

"I'm a gifted person, now stop interrupting the story. She left them on an island for a whole month with nothing but a knife, and they were forbidden to use alchemy. Once the dreaded month passed, the boys understood the meaning of 'one is all, all is one'."

"Everything is connected." Aang stated simply.

"Right. Once they went back with their teacher, she taught them how to be strong and how to be better alchemists. Their training was complete within six months, so the brothers returned to their quiet hometown.

Despite knowing about life and death, the foolish brothers decided to ignore their teacher and went along with bringing their mother back. They carefully drew a circle and runes on the ground, and gathered all of the elements that made up the human body."

"If they knew about life and death, why did they decide to bring her back?" Toph asked as she moved closer to the fire.

"They were young idiots who just wanted to see their mother smile again. They offered a blood sacrifice and touched the circle. The array glowed blue, and filled the room with light. The brothers smiled, thinking that their human transmutation was working, until the room turned purple. Out of nowhere, millions of little black hands sucked both brothers separately into a blank white place. The elder brother was pulled into a large door, with knowledge of everything being imploded into his head.

The pain was tremendous, but it was over before he knew it. His theory about human transmutation had been so close, but it had been missing something. Truth demanded a toll for the boy's acquired knowledge."

"Who's Truth?" Sokka asked.

"A terrifying thing. The boy awoke with a flash, only to discover his leg was gone. The puddle of blood beneath him was almost too much to handle; he needed someone there to comfort him. He looked at the thing he created, which was supposed to be his mother. The thing waved one of its many ghastly arms in the air, and it breathed a breath of air between its yellow teeth. The ribs moved up and down once, and its organs squished around, but the thing quickly died.

The elder brother panicked when his younger brother was not there. He knocked over a suit of armor and drew a blood seal on it."

"What's a blood seal?" Katara asked.

"The blood seal allowed the older brother to tie his younger brother's soul to the armor, but at a price. He lost his arm in the process."

"That's not right." Sokka stared viciously into the fire.

"It was the price for their sins. To this day, the brothers search for a legendary stone that may be able to restore their bodies back to normal, although, they may never find it." Ed was sweating profusely and shivered, then decided to add, "the end."

The four kids stared at Ed with their mouths slightly agape. "So, what do I win for scaring you all?" Ed crossed his arms, and stared with dead eyes at the kids.

"…That wasn't scary, it was more…" Aang started.

"Depressing." Katara said.

"Miserable." Toph added.

"Gloomy." Sokka looked down.

"…Sad." Aang finished.

"Fine. If it wasn't scary, I'd like to see you try and tell a better one." Ed backed away from the fire while Sokka told a story about a haunted sword. Why did he just tell them his story? Sure, they thought it was an Amestrian tale, but they couldn't be that dense. The older brother in the story lost an arm and a leg, had no parents, had only a little brother, and could clap to transmute things. Well, the clapping part wasn't in the story, but these kids should be able to put two and two together.

Ed took off his headband and wiped away the globs of sweat that had accumulated there. He quickly regretted telling the story, because his mind soon filled with terrible images. His mother walked toward him kindly, and she was spurting out blood. 'Why couldn't you make me better?' Ed's eyes widened, and his body trembled. He was vaguely aware of Katara telling a ghost story.

There was a large white dog with long flowing locks of black hair down its back. It turned slowly and grinned at Ed. 'Wanna play?' The chimera, who had once been a kind girl and her dog, attacked Ed with bared teeth.

"No!" Ed yelled and crossed his arms in front of him to shield his face.

"Hey, now, it wasn't that scary." Who the hell was that?! Who was there?! Then Ed remembered where he was. It was only Sokka who had spoken. He tried his best to regain his composure.

"I know. I was just adding to the story."

"You're sweating like a hog-monkey." Katara observed. And what the hell is a hog-monkey? He learned it was best not to ask about the strange animals of this land.

"The fire's hot." Ed paused and thought of the perfect way to draw the unwanted attention away. He spoke with a cold, dead voice. "I know, I've got another true story. There once was a girl named Nina, and she had a dog, Alex-" Ed cut himself off when he heard something in the forest. He unwrapped his headband and tied the bandana around his hair. It was probably only a traveler; he couldn't always assume the worst, but just in case, he had his hands ready to clap.

"Hello, children." Everyone, including Ed, screamed and jumped. "Sorry to frighten you. My name is Hama. You children shouldn't be out in the forest by yourselves at night." Who was she calling a child? Ed knew he could take care of himself and his companions. "I have an inn nearby. Why don't you come back there for some spiced tea and warm beds?" Every instinct in Ed's body screamed no. Don't trust the creepy woman, run away, now!

"Yes, please." Sokka said nervously. Ed remained seated while the others stood up and followed the elderly woman. "Ed! Are you coming?" It was the first time that Sokka had addressed his name properly. Ed didn't respond and stared blankly into the fire. Al wouldn't have been able to feel the warmth coming from the fire. He couldn't even feel the kittens' fur from the cats he had to be collecting by now.

He rolled up his sleeve and looked at his automail, which was dimly lit from the fire light. It was covered with small dents and scratches. Winry wasn't here to yell at him about taking better care of her brilliant creation. He returned the sleeve to normal, and thought about his time in this land. It had been almost three weeks. It was strange, not filing any reports to Mustang. That part, at least, had been fine with him.

Sokka suddenly grabbed Ed's left arm and pulled him up, then wiped the sweat off of his hands.

"Ew! Come on, you look like you've seen a ghost." Ed blindly followed Sokka and the others, who were tailing the old hag into a town. Every reflex and instinct in Ed's body was hollering at him; _Get out of here! You'll never see Al again if you don't run!_

They were led into a quaint inn, and were shown the way to dining hall. Ed slumped down onto a firm chair, and tried to pay attention to the group's conversation. He zoned out, giving in to his mind's pleas. _Run! This place is dangerous! You are going to die!_

A clammy hand rested on Ed's left shoulder, and he recoiled immediately from the voices yelling louder from the contact.

"Aren't you just adorable? You must come from a noble family of fire benders, with golden eyes like those." Hearing the woman speak made him cringe. There was something terribly off about her. It reminded Ed of the same feeling Tucker had given off when he destroyed Nina's life.

The tea and morsels of food in front of Ed remained untouched. He pushed it away, and the food was quickly devoured by Sokka. The lemur (Momo, Ed remembered) jumped into Ed's lap and fell asleep. Ed petted the lemur's soft fur, and couldn't help but think about what Al would say if he saw such a cute furry creature.

_Flee! Murderer! She's going to kill you! _Ed pounded his fists on the table with anger, and stood up. There was a large dent in the wood, but Ed didn't care. He left the room and found a bed, hoping the voices would stop bugging him. We wasn't going insane. This sensation felt different; adrenaline pumped through his veins and his head felt very clear.

Somehow, he managed to fall asleep, but his mind was being viciously attacked by dreams and voices. The old woman kept morphing into Tucker. She was an awful person. He had to escape! But there was no alchemy here, so it's not like the woman was creating human chimeras. This bending thing had to have some sort of taboo. _Run. Run! RUN! _

Ed frantically woke up in a cold sweat. Sunlight peaked through the window, illuminating the gloomy room. His ports were throbbing, but he could deal with the small amount of pain. The voices kept screeching at him to get the hell out of there. Ed heard a knock at the door and he mumbled, "Come in."

"Is everything alright? You stormed off last night without eating." It was Katara. She made the crazy go away once, maybe she could again. No, he was already too far in their debt. He would've died if she hadn't decided to save him. He didn't need to worry her or anyone else.

"I'm fine. I guess those scary stories had me on edge." Ed stood up and stretched. "Well, I'm ready. Let's get out of here-"

"Actually, Hama's taking us shopping."

"Oh." _Don't go with her! Run! Murderer! _"I think I'll stay here." Katara shrugged, and he watched as the group left with the woman. Instantly, his reflexives stopped yelling at him to run. He was safe, since that Tucker-like woman was gone now.

_Monster! She's going to hurt your friends. _"They're not my friends." Ed stated nervously, out loud. _Then what are they? They saved your life._ "So did Mustang when Scar attacked me. Mustang sure as hell isn't my friend." _They accept you as one of them. Even the oldest one, the idiot, likes you now._ "Don't call him an idiot." _Oh, what's this? You're defending him? Tell me, what are these people to you?_ "Shut up." _Tut, tut, such short temper._ "I AM NOT SHORT!" _…She's going to kill your friends. _"That woman…is going to hurt my…friends?" _Murder. Blood. Control. _"She will not touch any of my friends!" Ed yelled and kicked the door open. He stomped his feet heavily while he walked down the street. Luckily, his friends were heading back to the inn when Ed went looking for them.

"Ed," Katara spoke softly when they finally approached. It seemed like her voice was filled with sympathy. The others held their heads down low. "we were talking earlier. We remembered the story you told us." Ed could see the creepy old lady coming toward them. "Well, the story is about you, isn't it?" _Run! _Ed obeyed the voice and clapped his hands. He created a large rock wall and ran as fast as he could to the forest. He didn't stop running until he tripped over a tree root and went skidding across the forest floor.

Once he stood up, he brushed the dirt off of himself and climbed up a tree. Toph wouldn't be able to echolocate him if he was off the ground. _Coward! _Ed ignored his inner turmoil and slept through the morning and afternoon.

_Weakling! Back-stabber! Traitor! Your friends are sure to die. She's gonna kill them._ "Shut up." _Murderer. It will be your fault they were killed. Nina. Hughes. You don't need more death on your hands._ "They can take care of themselves." _This woman is evil. Killer. You will be the death of them all._ "Be quiet, or I'll slug you in the face." _But, I am you. You're arguing with yourself._ "No I'm not."_ Yes, you are. _"I'm not going crazy." _I never said you were, but it takes one to know one._ "It wasn't my fault I went into shock, and you know it." There was no answer. Ed put his hand up to his forehead and groaned. He indeed, was talking to himself.

The sky was starting to turn orange as the sun started to set. The full moon peeked over the horizon and took the sun's place in the night sky. Below him, Ed could hear two people walking and talking. Suddenly, the talking turned into violent yelling. All Ed could hear was something about blood bending. _Run._ "No. My friends are in danger." Ed jumped out of the tree and ran toward the woman and Katara. Aang and Sokka were standing defensively near the hag, ready to strike.

"No, you've outnumbered yourselves!" The creepy old lady yelled. That didn't even make sense. Ed clapped his hands and transmuted his arm into a blade, and prepared to attack. _You will kill the boys_. Okay. Ed's body was being taken over, and he could no longer control his movements. He unwillingly charged at Sokka, who was about to become a shish-kabob.

"Sokka! Move!" Sokka jumped out of the way just in time, but he too, was under control. He drew his sword, and all three boys charged at each other. They were going to be killed. Merely inches before Ed impaled Aang, the sensation of being violated and controlled ceased. Ed fell forward to the ground and breathed deeply.

Katara was controlling that monster with her bending. It wasn't like Isaac McDougal's form of controlling blood, she was actually manipulating the blood flow inside the woman. It was now on Ed's top ten list of terrifying things he had witnessed. It was unnatural, and Ed could see the pain in Katara's eyes as she maneuvered the woman to the ground.

A whole bunch of guards came and took the woman away. "Congratulations, Katara. You're a blood bender." The woman cackled, and Katara fell to her knees. She began to cry, and the other three went around her for comfort. Ed didn't know what to do, he hated it when girls cried. Tears of joy would be nice, for once.

Ed knew he could've prevented the anguish Katara was feeling now. If he just had listened to his instincts and confronted the woman earlier, they wouldn't have been in this mess. He was a terrible person, and they knew about his human transmutation. They had to think he was a monster.

None of them noticed when Ed slipped through the trees and ran far away, since they were busy comforting Katara. It was for the best he never saw any of them again. All he ever brought when he got to know someone was pain and suffering. He'd have to find a way home without harming any of the people here. He was never going to hurt anyone ever again.

_Valiant_ _coward._


	10. Bravery

**I've been using the incorrect form of blond.*facepalm* Oops. I'll go back and fix those…**

**Ed is always on the verge of insanity, but in his defense, he was dumped in a foreign land, where everything is completely different than he is used to. He's not as crazy as before. **

**A Mysterious Illusion- He wasn't possessed, but that would be cool! It was more of an instinct thing. He didn't know what would happen until it actually passed. Well, you're welcome for updating, but don't tell me to do it again! You are not the boss of me! *Snaps fingers* …nothing happens… Fine, I'll do what you say. Here's your update.**

* * *

Bravery

Ed was drawing circles on the soft ground with a stick, since he had no paper or pen. After sitting in a tree all night and day with no distractions, he remembered the events leading up to his dumping in this wretched land. He had been swallowed by Gluttony, as well as Ling and Envy. The terrible creature, Envy, had transformed into his true form. He had a Philosopher's Stone, and let Ed use it to get them all back home, after attacking him, that is.

It didn't work as planned, however, because something went horribly wrong. The transmutation rebounded somehow, and caused Ed to appear in this place instead of Amestris. He drew many new circles in the ground, but he had nothing to sacrifice to Truth. Ed feared he would never return home, but he knew he had to try.

Once the sun was in the center of the sky, Ed erased his circles and climbed into a tree. Noon was usually the time when the most travelers were wandering around the path. When he climbed to the little platform he transmuted into the tree, Ed grabbed a scrap piece of brown cloth he found laying in the last town he passed. Blond hair was unnatural here, so he only drew attention to himself.

With a quick clap, Ed sucked the color pigments out of the cloth and into a small cup of water. He let his ponytail dip into the cup, and clapped again. His golden locks turned into a dark brown color, and he tried to tie it into a topknot like many of the locals did. Disappointment hit Ed when he couldn't get his damned hair in a topknot, so he gave up and let it flow down.

An hour or two passed without a single person in sight. Ed's stomach growled from not eating anything since he left his friends the day before. He could eat his boot…again. He cringed slightly at the thought. There was plenty of tasty food around, and he was not desperate enough to eat his shoe.

Ed climbed down the tree and walked toward an upcoming village, with the smell of cooking meat invading his nose. He received minimal strange looks from the citizens when he strolled on the street. There were posters of him plastered on the walls, and he noticed there were more writings than before. Too bad he couldn't read what they said. Carefully, Ed walked on the wooded porches instead of the road, just in case Toph was near to echolocate his metal leg.

With his last few copper pieces, Ed bought himself two bowls of noodles and some sort of fruity dessert drink. He guzzled the food down and walked on the porches around town. So far, no one had questioned him or squealed with fear at the sight of him. It was a perfect, normal, and quiet day, until someone snuck up behind him and stole his bag.

"Hey! Get back here!" Ed chased the culprit down the street, and not a single stupid fire freak had tried to stop him. The thief made the bad decision to run down an unoccupied alley, so Ed clapped his hands and made the alley a dead end.

The thief turned around and dropped the bag. "You're an earthbender?" The alchemist put a fist into one of his hands, but realized that it was only a young kid.

"Why did you steal my bag? Give it back." Ed outstretched one of his hands and waited while the boy somberly picked up the bag, and handed over.

"Sorry, I thought you were a girl."

"That makes it okay?!" Ed grabbed the kid, using his left hand, by the arm and drug the boy back onto the main road. He forced him to sit down, despite the disapproving glances from the other people.

"Look, kid-" Ed started, but was interrupted.

"I'm not a kid! You are!"

"I'm fifteen, you little brat! Listen to your elders!" The boy hunched back and crossed his arms. "You can't go around stealing things. Go and get a job, or something. Alright?" The boy nodded and stood up.

"What's your name?" He asked before running off.

"Uh…Ling." It was the first thing that popped in Ed's mind. The boy waved and ran off. Ed sighed and leaned his back against the wall. His mind felt at ease, and he wasn't having many self arguments. The terrible feeling he felt had passed as soon as he ran away from his friends. He came up with the theory that he could sense the terrible woman's presence like Ling and Lan Fan had done with the homunculi. Even though he wasn't sure how, or why, he was at least glad he hadn't been hurt.

_But you hurt your friends._ "I didn't. They'll be fine without me." _They will face the fire freak in five days. They need you, but you abandoned them. _"I didn't leave them. I'll only bring pain to them, like I always do." _Oh, trying to be noble? Stop pitying yourself, you're not that type of person. _"I'm strong. I don't need to listen to you." _…But, I am you, and you are me. You're talking to yourself…_ "Shut up, me."_ Are you going insane again? You'll never see your brother again if you don't snap out of it. _"I'm fine! Leave me alone." _Talking to yourself is a sign of insanity. Don't you want to see Al again?_ "I do! I don't give a damn about this country or anyone in it!" _That's not true. Just accept the fact you're stuck here and help them out._ "No, I'm not trapped. I will go home and help those who need me."_ These people desperately need you. But what did you do? You ran away. Coward!_

Ed groaned and harshly banged his head against the wall. No one had been around at the time to hear him have a conversation with himself, which was good. He glanced down the street and was mortified when he saw a familiar group of kids. Ed quickly ruffled his brown hair to hide his face.

"Excuse me, miss." It was Sokka. Ed clenched his fist, but contained his composure after being called a girl. "Have there been any sightings of the Golden Hair Spirit around here?"

"No." Ed responded with a false falsetto in his voice. "You shouldn't look for him, he's too dangerous." _Coward! Reveal yourself, now!_

"We can handle the spirit, we actually caught him before."

"Abandon your quest. He'll only bring you sorrow." _That's not true. You're a monster; these are your friends!_

"Well, you sure seem to know quite a bit about the spirit." Sokka raised an eyebrow and tried to peer at Ed's face. "Sure you haven't seen him? He's pretty short." Ed bit his lip and slowly stood up.

"Don't judge someone by their height. Now get out of here." _Trying to scare away your friends? Come on, show them your face. Do it now, or run away like a coward._

"Do I know you?" Sokka moved closer.

"No!" Ed screamed with his regular voice and pushed Sokka down. He sprinted, making sure to run on the wooden porches. _So you are a coward. It's not nice to hurt your friends. _"I'm saving them." _Oh, come on. There's no alchemy or Homunculi here. No one is going to turn into a chimera or die for your cause._ Ed kept running until he ran out of porches. The forest was close enough, so he darted into the trees and climbed the nearest one. _Are you going to hide forever? What would Al say? Colonel Mustang? Teacher would kick your ass for being so stupid._

"Ed!"

"Edward!" The voices were definitely coming from his friends, who were coming closer to his hiding spot. _This isn't like you. You're supposed to be brave. Confront them._ "They know what I did. Why did I ever tell them that?" _Because you trust them. You wanted them to know. So, coward, trust them and reveal yourself. _"No, they must think I'm a monster." _Arrogant fool._

"Ed! Come out so I can kick your butt!" Toph yelled. They were all starting to pronounce his name much better.

"Can you feel him at all?" Katara asked. Ed could clearly see them below.

"No, but I know he's around here somewhere."

"Ed, come on! We know you're out there." Sokka yelled into his cupped hands. _See. They're looking for you, like good friends._

"Please! We want to talk." Katara shouted, and the group slowly started to wander away from Ed. _They want to talk with you. You better hurry, or they'll disappear, the only ones in this land who don't want to kill you. _"No. I'll only hurt them." Ed whispered to himself. _Show yourself, coward. _"I'm not a coward." _That's why you're hiding in a tree? Because of your bravery? Face them._

Ed was abruptly startled when something landed on his flesh shoulder. The something turned out to be Momo, who was chattering very loud. The stupid lemur-thing was going to give away his position.

"Hey, where did Momo go?" Aang spoke, then freakishly jumped into a tree with his special air bending. Ed sat back with alarm when Aang landed in the tree next to him. The kid turned his head, and gold eyes met hazel. _There. Aren't you glad your friends found you?_

"Ed? Momo?" Aang mouth was wide.

"No!" Ed shimmied down as fast as he could and tried to run away. _It's over, they caught you. Now be a good friend and stop running like a pansy._ He ignored his internal argument and ran through the forest, with his friends shouting after him. They thought he was a monster, after he told them about his transmutation.

A rock wall jutted in front of Ed, which he couldn't evade in time. He collided with the wall and fell backwards, then quickly stood in a defensive position.

"Why are you running?" Toph questioned.

"I don't want to hurt you." Ed saw the other three catch up, and added, "Any of you." _Cut the crap already. _

"What are you talking about?" All four moved closer to Ed, whose heart was racing. They hated him! They would never forgive his sin. He would only hurt them if he continued to stay with them.

"Stay back!" Ed clapped his hands and transmuted a blade on his arm. If he scared his friends away, he wouldn't be able to hurt them. _But you are hurting them, on the inside. _"Shut the hell up." Ed muttered to himself.

"Are you okay? We're not going to hurt you." Katara spoke softly, and the group continued to advance. "We understand what you did when you were younger." Ed raised his weapon, and his amber eyes shined like fire.

"I'm a monster! A killer! My brother hates me, you hate me, everyone hates me!" Ed spat. _That's a lie. Snap out of it, you're acting weird._ A hand grabbed Ed's arm, and he spun around and lashed his blade at the person.

Toph let out a short cry and held her own arm, which now had a bleeding cut, though it wasn't too bad. _You just hurt your friend! Your friend! You are the biggest bastard on Earth. No, make that the littlest biggest bastard…_

"I'm a bastard! I'll only hurt you, like my brother! Go away!" Ed fell to his knees and started to tremble. "I want to go home!" He whipped his head furiously and faced the other three. "What are you gonna do?! I hurt my friend. I committed the taboo. Whatcha gonna do about it? Kill me? Torture me? Both? Answer me!" They walked over to the distressed alchemist and stood over him. Perhaps they would kick him while he was down. Instead, Katara grabbed his arms and pulled him up. _They don't hate you. She's getting you on your feet. _They probably just got him up so they could punch him in the face.

"I can handle whatever punch you blow! Pain is nothing to me!" Ed cackled, but he could hardly see a thing, since his eyes started to cloud over from the tears he was holding in.

Ed braced himself, but nothing came. Instead, Katara pulled him in and hugged him. The others did the same, and wrapped their arms kindly around Ed. _They don't hate you… _Ed raised his arms and returned the hug, and he let his tears fall. …_They care about you._


	11. The Idiot

**Outtakes from the previous chapter:**

"Please! We want to talk." Katara shouted. "It's about your height."

"Yeah, just admit it." Sokka yelled. "Even the Fire Lord thinks you're a pipsqueak."

"NO!" Ed ran to the palace and found Ozai's throne room. Ed grabbed the fire freak by the goatee, and thoroughly kicked his ass until he wept like a girl. "I AM NOT SHORT!"

And everyone lived happily ever after. The end.

* * *

**Okay, let's get down to business…to defeat the Huns….Sorry, that was necessary.**

**AkumanoshippoNiamh: I just love typing out your username, by the way. I listen to FMA related songs like Brothers and Rain before I write, so it makes me write out the feels. Sometimes I feel tempted to put a quick song lyric in or two, but I feel that's overkill. Actually, there is a song lyric in this fic somewhere. If anyone finds it, I'll give you a cookie.**

**A Mysterious Illusion: Thank you. Well, here's another update (How can I resist pleading eyes?). I think Ed is fine now, since he has a great weight lifted off his chest. Don't worry, you're not the only one who reads fanfics late. Maybe I shouldn't update late, but that's how I roll. (It's usually between 10 and 11 pm when I update)**

**KeyStar11: Yep, I like to update every couple days. I also feel guilty for not updating my other story since May, so I'm making it up with this story. Ed could always use a good hug.**

**And without further ado, your update!**

* * *

The Idiot

For Ed's sake, the group decided to walk rather than fly on Appa. They made sure to stick close together and talk softly. Frankly, it was starting to get on Ed's nerves. He was fine now, they didn't need to baby him like a lost child.

"Ed, do you want me to make stew tonight?" Ed's face brightened, and he nodded. Okay, they could baby him with stew; he was lost, after all. "Alright, once we get to the island, we'll make some." Ed moaned softly, because the rendezvous point for the invasion was on an island only accessible via Appa. Sokka held out his hand and pulled Ed into the saddle, which was a bit difficult since the alchemist was much heavier than his stature suggested.

They flew low over the sparkling blue ocean, which had a very lovely salty smell. The mist that flew up from the waves felt wonderful with the hot weather. Appa landed gently on the uninhabited island, which Sokka had chosen to be the meeting point for the invasion. Sheep creatures roamed around lazily, and everyone took a moment to lay down in the soft grass.

"Sokka, you chose a good spot. How'd you find it?" Ed asked, with his eyelids half closed.

"I found it on a map. It seemed like the perfect place." Sokka beamed and yawned.

"Good job, Sokka. And we're four days early!" Katara started to cook a meat stew in the pot, and Ed noticed Aang twitching his nose with disgust.

"Wait!" Aang panicked. "Four days? The invasion's in _four_ days?" Aang's eyes widened.

"Whatever. That's like, four days from now. Let's just calm down and-" Sokka never finished his statement and fell asleep with his mouth open. Katara finished the stew and gave a bowl to Toph, Ed, and herself. They ate quickly, and tried to go to sleep.

"Aang, get some sleep. You'll need it." Ed glanced at the boy, who was extremely fidgety. Aang nodded and closed his eyes. Not too long after, Ed noticed the boy seemed to be having some sort of nightmare. There was nothing that could be done about it, so Ed gave in to his tiredness and fell into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Ed woke up with a great big yawn and stood up to stretch. He smacked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and looked around for food. There was a thwacking noise nearby, and he feared that it was the enemy. Quickly, Ed ran to the noise and clapped his hands, only to be shocked when the noise was coming from Aang, who was hitting a tree.

"Uh, what are you doing?"

"Practicing. I have to fight the Fire Lord, but I'm too flabby. I'm not ready." Ed agreed, the kid was flabby. Then again, so was Ed. He hadn't sparred with Al in a long time.

"I can help you. Want to spar with me?" Aang nodded and Ed stood in a defensive stance. Ed noticed right away Aang seemed to be out of it, but one must train the body before the mind. Aang wobbled and sent an air stream way past Ed.

"Actually, are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, just attack me." Ed shrugged his shoulders and slammed his fist into Aang's stomach. The idiot didn't even try to block it! Aang was struggling to get to his feet, and his whole body trembled.

"Do it again! I need to be ready." Ed hesitated. Aang was not okay. There was a certain quaver in his voice and the way he was standing gave it away. Ed wondered if that's how he had acted when he wasn't exactly well.

"What are you doing?" Katara appeared behind Ed and Aang.

"Uh, sparring?" Ed gave her an innocent smile, and pleading eyes.

"How long have you been up?"

"All night." Oh. Ed didn't know Aang was sleep deprived.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have sparred with you. What you need is sleep. Then I promise I'll help you train." Ed crossed his arms and looked at Aang, with a slight smile.

"You don't get it, do you?" The boy lashed out. "My form is bad, I'm sloppy, and I still don't know any firebending."

"Yes, yes, and yes." Ed put in simply. Katara responded by slapping him on the arm, and gave him a nasty glare.

"The eclipse will block off firebending anyway, so you don't need to know it. Plus, it's a stupid element." Sokka said, after joining up with them.

"He's right. Back home, I know someone who can do flame alchemy. He's a useless idiot when it rains. Fire is stupid." Ed tried to reassure the worried boy.

"Firebenders can bend here when it rains…that's so not fair. We could've attacked during a storm instead of a short eclipse if that's how firebending worked." Sokka grumbled.

"Um, it doesn't rain here much, right?" Ed had been here long enough, and it had only rained once, on a day he didn't really care to remember. Katara shook her head. "All right. The sun will be blocked off by the moon in three days. Their fire bendy thing will be off, so don't worry about the führer lord. Just punch him a few times and get it over with."

"But, I can't just beat up people I don't like." Aang and the others were used to Ed calling the Fire Lord the wrong title by now. It actually seemed to amuse them.

"Why the hell not? I've done it plenty times." Ed balled his hand into a fist to prove his point.

"I like the way Crazy thinks." Toph grinned.

"All life is sacred…" Aang started and looked up at Ed, hoping he'd understand.

"Are you a pacifist, or something?" Aang beamed at Ed's question, thinking he did understand.

"Yes, I am. I'm even a vegetarian."

"Psh. That's lame. If you're too much of a pansy to get rid of this guy, I'll do it for you." Ed folded his arms, and his face slightly reddened. This kid was too self-centered to save the world. He could understand Aang not wanting to take a life, because Ed completely agreed with that, but causing no harm? That would be impossible.

"You can't. It's the Avatar's destiny." Katara said, but Ed rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"Destiny isn't real. Stop being a wuss and face your fear." All four kids gasped at Ed's comment. Apparently, 'destiny' was a sensitive subject here.

"You don't know anything! How can you say destiny isn't real?! It was Katara and Sokka's destiny to save me! It was Katara and Toph's destiny to teach me! It is my destiny to save the world!" Ed had never seen the boy so angry, save for the time he was glowing after Ed stole Appa. "Maybe it was your destiny to be some sort of freak. You were destined to fail at bringing your mother back, so now you're a freak!" Aang yelled and pulled at his own hair. Maybe he was starting to go insane, but that was not a valid excuse to Ed for the words that spilled out of the boy's mouth.

"Aang!" Katara gasped. Ed turned around so fast, that his brown ponytail smacked him in the face. He blew the hair out of his mouth, and stormed defiantly away, not caring where he ended up. It didn't take him long to end up at the edge of the island.

Ed sat down and let his legs dangle off the ledge, and he watched the waves crash against the rocks below. What would Al say if he were here? Momo appeared next to Ed and made his little chattering noises. Ed lifted his automail arm and let the lemur crossbreed climb on it. At least someone appreciated it almost as much as Winry.

The sun moved closer to the water, sending bright glares off of the waves, signaling the end of another day. Ed didn't bother moving, and remained in the spot he had been in all day. As he slightly scooted away from the edge, he yawned and found the softest patch of grass he could find. Momo curled up on his chest while he slowly fell asleep. Tonight, however, he was not free from his dreams.

They were no worse than usual. The only difference was Al was not here to comfort him as he awoke in the morning. Momo wasn't in sight; he probably went with the others. Ed looked up and noticed the sun was in the center of the sky. He had slept all through the morning, and he hadn't eaten any food in nearly 24 hours. His stomach growled to confirm that.

Dead set on avoiding his friends, or rather, Aang, Ed stubbornly stayed where he was. He wasn't going to move an inch until the little brat apologized. He wasn't expecting Toph to come walking over with a handful of jerky.

"Hey, Crazy, how you doin'?" Toph sat down next to Ed and offered the food, which was quickly engulfed.

"I'm fine."

"Look, what Aang said yesterday was totally uncalled for, and we're sorry."

"I'm not mad at you, and don't apologize for him. Tell him to get his sorry little ass over here to apologize, and so I can beat some sense into him." Toph chuckled.

"I like your style, but Aang's acting weird. Not as crazy as you, but close enough. He hasn't slept in two days. We've tried everything; Yoga, acupuncture, and counseling from Sokka."

"Did you try a fist to his face?"

"No. Katara wouldn't let me, but we have a plan that might work."

"Okay, I'll stay here and wait for him." Toph shrugged, left more food with Ed, and walked away. No one else bothered him for the rest of the day. Tomorrow was the day of the eclipse, or the Day of Black Sun, as Sokka had called it. Ed hoped Aang would be better in order to beat the tyrant, but more importantly, saying he was sorry.

* * *

It was early morning when Ed woke up, as the blinding sun shone brightly in his eyes.

"It's nice to see everyone got some sleep last night." Ed turned his head and saw his four friends standing behind him. Aang looked very guilty and hung his head low. Ed stood up and crossed his arms, then glared at the boy.

"I am so sorry. I shouldn't have said those things. I don't know what got over me. Apology accepted?" Aang smiled nervously, so Ed walked up to him and uncrossed his arms. He raised his left hand and punched Aang in the gut, which sent him flying. Ed smiled cheerfully.

"Apology accepted."

* * *

**Sorry this chapter is so short, but the next one is the Promised Day! I mean, the Day of Black Sun! I promise that one will be longer, but it might take me a few more days to get it uploaded, so sorry in advance. Maybe late Monday or early Tuesday. Thanks again for reading and reviewing! Domo Arigato! **


	12. Failure is an Option

**KeyStar11: Indeed…battle shtuffs. Yeah, Ed is just so adorable! **

**A Mysterious Illusion: Hello, my faithful reviewer! Well, I considered your speech idea, and well…you'll see. Yeah, that punch seemed like a perfect way to end that chapter, given the circumstances.**

**Fangirl2013: Thanks for the review. Well, I've continued writing….**

**And here's your update! A day early!**

* * *

Failure is an Option

Ed was helping Sokka set up his maps in preparation for the invasion meeting. It was a bright morning, and everyone was well rested and getting along. The day was finally here! Ed could help save this country, and he would at last be able to find a way home. He would see Al and everyone else very soon, and he would have a wonderful story to tell.

Katara and Ed both looked out into the vast sea, and noticed a large cloud of fog forming. Would it delay the invasion boats? No, they had to come; stupid fog wasn't going to stop anyone from saving the world.

"Oh no," Katara turned to her older brother. "Is the fog going to delay the invasion?" Sokka squinted his eyes and grinned.

"No, that is the invasion." Ed cocked his head slightly and wondered what Sokka meant. Maybe there were benders like Katara on the boats changing the state of the water. It actually wasn't a bad plan, and when Ed asked out loud about the bending and the fog, Sokka beamed with pride.

"Yep. It was my idea!" Ed couldn't believe it was only a few days ago when he thought Sokka was an absolute moron, and now, he was following him on a very important mission, one that could determine the fate of the world.

"So, who's all in the invasion?" Sokka counted his fingers as he listed off people in his head.

"Friends and allies we've met." Sokka spoke nervously and scratched his head. Ed knew he had to make a speech in front of all those people, who turned out to be people they knew.

"Sokka, you're going to be fine." Ed said reassuringly, and he quickly clapped his hands and pulled a spear out of the ground. He swiped at Sokka, who quickly deflected with his drawn sword. They sparred for only a little bit; they stopped because the sword eventually cut the spear in half.

"What was that for?" Sokka raised an eyebrow, but he didn't sound mad, it was curiosity.

"Words aren't going to win this war, your reflexes are. Stay sharp." Ed patted Sokka's shoulder once and turned his gaze to the oncoming boats. They still weren't going to arrive for awhile. Ed turned to look at his friends, but something looked different about them.

Toph was wearing green and yellow clothes, Katara and Sokka were wearing blue, and Aang was wearing yellow and orange. Did these people really separate themselves by the colors they wore? That seemed ridiculous, as it would be a dead giveaway to ones nationality. Then Ed realized he was still wearing his disguise clothes, but his regular clothes were still Fire Nation red.

He grabbed his bag and changed into his black pants and tank top, then slipped his beloved boots on. Ed decided the folded bandana could stay wrapped around his forehead, since he wasn't wearing his coat and the bandana had the flamel symbol on it. Satisfied with his look, Ed came from around Appa and joined up with his friends.

Aang held a razor blade in his and brought it up to his head. What was he doing? The boy started to shave off his hair, which revealed his strange arrow even more.

"What are you doing?" Ed inquired.

"Preparing. I'm ready to face the Fire Lord now."

"…By shaving your head? Is that a…custom for you people?"

"I'm a monk." Aang answered cheerfully like that explained everything. Ed decided he should finish getting ready, so he walked to the water and dipped his pony tail in. With a quick clap, his muddy brown hair turned back into its original golden color. He took out the tie, and braided his hair.

Before they knew it, the ships landed and tied off on the boardwalks Toph had made. Ed almost felt seasick when he looked at the blue-sailed ships. He had never been on a large boat at sea before, but how different could it be from a train? It couldn't be that bad. People with a mixture of blue and green clothes started to get off the boat and sat down in front of the invasion maps.

"You made it, Dad!" Katara yelled. Dad? Sokka said his dad had left him. Ed zipped his head and saw a burly man adorned with water tribe fastenings. So, this was Sokka and Katara's father?

Ed stormed to the man before anyone could protest. Out of nowhere, Ed slugged the man square between his eyes.

"You bastard!" Ed fumed and his eye twitched slightly.

"Ed!" Sokka and Katara yelled at the same time.

"What are _you_?" The man looked up at Ed with a little bit of fright in his eyes.

"You mean, who are you? I'm human, you bastard. I should-" Ed stopped when he felt someone grab his left arm.

"Ed, that's our dad! Why'd you do that?" Sokka asked while Katara helped her father get up and healed the broken nose Ed had given him.

"You said he ran out on you, so I gave him some justice." Ed glared harshly at the man.

"I never said he ran off. He left so he could fight in the war." Oh. Ed face palmed and reconsidered the man he just punched. He then extended his left arm.

"My name is Ed." The man cautiously looked at his attacker and grabbed Ed's elbow; what the hell was he doing?

"Hakoda." Ed decided to grip Hakoda's elbow in return. The had strange ways of shaking hands. At least the fire people bowed, which Ed knew how to do. Hakoda released his grip and glanced at the boy in front of him.

"Ed. That's a strange name. Where are you from?" Geeze, didn't the old man trust him?

"Not from anywhere nearby."

"When we met him, he didn't know what bending was, or the Avatar. He thinks our animals are strange. He went crazy for awhile when he was adjusting." Katara explained to her dad while Ed scowled.

"I thought we agreed to not mention that again. There was nothing wrong with me…" Ed growled.

"You were insane." Sokka confirmed and rested a hand on Ed's shoulder.

"Are you sure he's not a spy?" Ed rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at the man who was distastefully glaring at him. Sokka chuckled at his father's question.

"No, he's on the top of the Fire Nation's wanted list. They think he's some sort of spirit."

"Are you?" Hakoda turned his head slightly and stared at Ed's hair.

"No! There is nothing wrong with my hair!" Ed could tell people were staring at him. Was everyone here an idiot? Blond hair wasn't that strange…

"Great, now that we all like each other, can we get along with the invasion?" Sokka said while he stood between his dad and Ed. "And did you find everyone I asked for?"

"Yes, but I'm a bit worried. Some of these men don't seem like the warrior type." Ed frowned, not sure if he liked his friends' father. Who was he to judge someone based on appearances? Of course, Ed knew Hakoda was talking about the strange half-naked people who were wearing only leaves. Despite their looks, these people could be vital to winning.

The leaf people were currently babbling about a rock, like they had never seen one in their life.

"I just wish they'd wear pants." Another man stood next to Hakoda, and Ed completely agreed with the stranger.

"Pants are an illusion, and so is death." One of the leaf people said dreamily, while itching his belly. What the hell? Death is an illusion? No, it most certainly was not. Death was very real. Ed decided he didn't like the seemingly harmless leaf men.

"So, Ed?" Hakoda strained his name, and managed to mispronounce it. Seriously?! His name had two freaking letters! "Are you a bender?"

"No."

"So, you're a warrior?" Visions of Xingese martial artists filled his mind when he thought of the word 'warrior', and he chuckled quietly to himself.

"No. I'm an alchemist."

"…What?" Hakoda and the man next to him both asked, and they looked confused. Ed clapped his hands and transmuted his signature blade onto his arm. The men gasped and stared at the blade with wide eyes.

"How did you do that?"

"No, Dad, don't get him started. He'll start rambling on about circles." Sokka smirked.

"But…is that some sort of Fire Nation weapon?" Ed could see now where Sokka inherited his traits from. He reached into a bag and grabbed a poster of himself to show to Hakoda.

The man curiously grabbed it and read it over. "You broke out of prison?"

"Twice, actually."

"You're keeping a wanted poster of yourself?" Sokka questioned.

"Who cares? Now, are we going to stand here all day, or get going?" Ed gestured to the maps, and Sokka hurriedly ran to the pavilion, tripping several times. Ed kept the poster so he could show it off to everyone back home. Being a number one fugitive was awesome! …Right?

"Good morning, everyone!" Sokka stumbled on the stage and dropped all of his scrolls. Ed groaned; this was going to take forever. "Umm…so, as you know, today, we're invading the Fire Nation!" Well, no duh… "I mean I know you know that because otherwise, why would you be here?" Sokka laughed nervously. Way to play it smooth, Ed thought to himself. "Uh, anyway, the Fire Nation palace is here…no here…" Sokka continued to flip the scrolls like a madman until he found the right map. "There's gonna be an eclipse today and Aang's gonna fight the Fire Lord and the firebenders won't have any fire to use, so that's good for us!" Sokka was not good at speeches, but Ed himself had never given a speech. He didn't have time for fancy words, he just liked to directly get into the action.

"Umm…I'm sorry, let me start from the beginning…" Sokka started to ramble so fast, Ed couldn't understand a word he said. He could've sworn he heard something about Aang being trapped in ice.

"Wow, when he said from the beginning, he meant it." Katara whispered.

"Aang was trapped in ice? What?" Ed asked, figuring he heard Sokka incorrectly.

"Yep. He was trapped in there for a hundred years."

"What?!" The people who were in earshot looked at Ed because of his outburst. When he spoke again, he softened his tone. "How is that possible? He should be dead…"

"He was in the Avatar state."

"You should know by now I have no idea what you are talking about."

"The Avatar's spirit kept him alive. It was our destiny to find him…" Katara stopped, briefly remembering the conversation from the other night.

"Destiny shmestiny. It was luck." Was it? What if this destiny thing was real? No, it couldn't be, that was ridiculous!

"Haru has a moustache now…" Ed could hear Sokka say, and Hakoda started to get up to stop his son. Ed ran in front of Sokka's father and tapped the rambling boy.

"Good job, but I think you need to cool off. I'll take it from here." Sokka lowered his head and hid behind his sister. Ed faced the crowd; all eyes were locked on him.

"Uh…hi…um…" Ed was frozen on the spot. Those damned people kept gawking at him like he was a zoo animal! Of course, he wasn't hiding his automail arm, and his hair was unnatural to their eyes. "…Thanks for…coming…can't wait to kick ass…" Ed laughed nervously and watched as everyone stared at him and began to whisper amongst themselves. Ed panicked and clapped, which resulted with a large transmuted wall. Those prying eyes were no longer on him, and Sokka sarcastically gave Ed a thumbs up.

He rushed off the stage and also hid behind Katara, with his hand on his chest. The brave Edward Elric had weaknesses, after all. The mighty Fullmetal Alchemist couldn't even deliver a simple public speech. How humiliating…

Hakoda took the stage and confidentially spoke. Ed tuned out the man, only catching a few words, like the eclipse lasting eight minutes and such. Sokka and Ed both snuck away from the people and sat on large boulders that overlooked the ocean. They didn't say a word to each other, both ashamed of their stumbling. There was a loud cheer from the gathered crowd, and Ed knew they should get going. He stood up, and offered a hand to Sokka.

"I messed up." Sokka said glumly after Ed helped him up.

"So did I; nobody is good at public speaking, I guess." Ed gave the depressed boy a reassuring smile.

"My dad is! He explained the plan perfectly and inspired everyone, like a real leader should."

"Do you want me to belt him again?" Ed asked innocently, with a sly smirk.

"No! Why don't you like him? He just inspired all of those warriors."

"Bad habits." He shrugged his shoulders. "Like I said earlier, those are just fancy words. What's going to matter is how you act during battle. You'll do great."

"You seem too confident. How do you know I'm going to do great?"

"Hey, you beat and captured me." Ed grimaced slightly at the memory. "That's pretty damn impressive."

"You were missing an arm and a leg; plus, you weren't all there in the head."

"Still, that's impressive. Now, come on, or the boats will leave without us." Sokka nodded and the two boarded a ship.

* * *

The ride wasn't as bad as Ed had been anticipating, but he stayed near the edge, just in case. The fog that entwined around them only made it more disorienting.

"There they are. The Great Gates of Azulon." Hakoda spoke while Ed strained his eyes to see the large statues that jutted out of the water. He thought it was strange there were no patrolling boats on the water, with it being the day the fire weirdoes were at their most vulnerable. Then, Ed quickly realized the fire people had defenses.

A loud ear-piercing alarm sounded, and there was a faint groaning noise. A large net rose from the water, and burst into the flame. Ed didn't see how the rope could spontaneously combust if it had been submerged. Nothing made sense here. The whir of motors was becoming louder, and someone spotted boats.

"Everyone below deck!" Hakoda shouted, then turned to his son and spoke confidently, "Let's hope your invention works." Sokka invented something? Oh, dear. They scrambled below deck and packed themselves into a large, what Ed presumed, submarine. The sub departed from the boat and joined with the other underwater vessels.

Hakoda placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "You've really outdone yourself this time, son." Sokka beamed, and Ed made a weird gagging noise. Maybe If Sokka's father were around more, he'd see Sokka was a bright individual. But at least his friend was being praised by his dad. Hohenheim didn't give a damn about Ed or Al. The last time Ed had seen the bastard was when they were at his mother's grave. Oh, how he wanted to punch the slime ball at the time, but he did have some decency to not disrespect his mom.

The subs resurfaced to replenish their air supplies. Aang and Katara were above talking, but it was seriously time to go; they didn't have all day! Ed climbed through the porthole and froze when he saw Aang kiss Katara, then flew away on a blue contraption. The kid could fly?! Then another thought hit him; Winry.

Ed tried to banish the thought. He hadn't fallen for that automail freak! No, she was just a friend!

"Ed! Katara! What are you doing? It's time to submerge." Sokka said while snapping his fingers. Katara nodded and went under the water with Appa. Ed's flushed face returned to normal, and he shut the porthole. He couldn't wait to see Winry again…and Al! Definitely Al.

"Everyone in position. Earthbenders, into your tanks. This is gonna be a rough ride." The green-clad people rushed into a large 'tank', which Ed didn't think resembled a tank at all. It looked more like a large, bone crushing caterpillar. Ed looked around, not so sure what to do. There were yelling about readying torpedoes, then loud underwater explosions trembled the subs.

"Sokka, what should I do?"

"Stay with us. I want you fighting by me." It was almost hard to take Sokka seriously with the ridiculous head mask, but Ed felt touched. Sokka trusted him enough to stay and fight by his side.

The submarines were beached on land, and the warriors and tanks poured out of them. Missiles struck the area immediately, and Ed clapped, which created a large wall to stop the bombs until everyone was safely out. He could hear the awed voices from the earth benders in the tank-erpillar.

Behind them, a large kelp monster rose out of the sea, so Ed prepared to attack the unnatural thing.

"Hey, Huu! Where you been?" One of the leaf men yelled. The kelp opened up to reveal yet another leaf man inside.

"Communin' with nature. Takes a while to collect this much seaweed." It was the same crazy bastard who said death was an illusion. Ed shook his head with disgust and redirected his attention the battlefield. The earth controlling people were already out fighting, so Ed motioned Sokka to follow.

"Come on! Stop staring at the seaweed freak…" The rest of the blue-clad warriors charged and attacked the fire freaks. Large freaky creatures with horns stampeded, and with them, they carried plenty of enemies. Ed figured a lumbering animal couldn't turn fast, so he transmuted walls to stop them. It proved to be effective, and the beasts slammed into the walls, sending their riders into the air and harshly to the ground. He almost attacked another one, but he noticed Sokka and his father were riding on it, so he hesitated.

The battlements on the top of the cliff were causing problems, and the most damage. Katara was taking Sokka and Hakoda to the top to destroy the problem, so Ed went to the opposite cliff wall and transmuted the rock into a fragile substance. The cliff buckled and the battlement on top fell to the bottom of the valley with the avalanche. Satisfied with the result, Ed rushed to the next one and repeated the process.

Ed was suddenly aware of a object lashing out at him. A spear had just swiped at him, and if it hadn't been his automail, his arm would've been history. He lashed out at the soldier and kicked the man to the ground. The spear was made out of metal, and Ed transmuted it into a club. He had been stupid and rushed into battle without a weapon. Sure, he could easily transmute a blade onto his arm, but he still liked to have a weapon not attached him so it wouldn't matter if it broke. There was no Winry here to fix his automail if something happened to it.

Without meaning to, Ed wondered what Winry was up to, then he slapped himself. He was in the middle of a battle! These people needed him to fight, not daydream about his _friend_.

The club proved to be a worthwhile weapon, as one or two strikes usually brought the soldiers down. After he downed each enemy, he transmuted shackles around their feet and hands so they could do no harm. It took time, but he was not going to kill anyone, especially for a foreign country's cause.

Battlements on both sides were taken care of, so it was much easier on the invasion to fight their way through the enemy. Ed could see Appa flying down from his peripheral vision and he saw Sokka yelling to the troops, but he was too far away to hear the words. The soldier Ed was fighting took advantage of the distracted alchemist and swiped the club out of his hand. Reflexes kicked in and Ed transmuted a short blade onto his arm. The soldier looked terrified, but he held his ground.

"Spirits! They've got spirits on their side!" The man yelled to his comrades. Ed rolled his eyes and slashed the sword out of the man's hand. He was getting real sick of everybody thinking he was some sort of demon, but it was slightly helpful in this situation, since many of the soldiers hesitated to attack.

Ed tried his best to make sure he only destroyed the weapons and captured the fallen quickly. He left harmless wounds on the soldiers, but he was becoming slowly trapped. The Fire Nation knew Ed, or the Golden Haired Spirit as they kept yelling, was a great threat that must be taken care of. One of the soldiers ran to Ed, who he saw coming from the corner of his eye. He raised his arm, but he miscalculated.

The man crumpled to the ground and held his bleeding stomach. Ed had accidentally punctured the soldier's guts. Horrified, Ed looked around, not knowing what to do. The man was innocent; sure, he was fighting for the wrong side, but it wasn't his fault. He was fighting to protect his country…and his family. Ed gulped. What if he had a wife and children waiting for him?

"Katara!" Ed shrieked, even though he knew she was too far away to hear his desperate cries. She could, no, had to heal the man he mortally wounded. "Help!" Then, a searing pain hit him in the back of his right leg. Ed plummeted to the ground and bit his cheek to hold in his scream. He could taste blood, and his leg felt like it was on fire. He whipped his head around, and his heart seemed to skip a beat. His leg _was_ on fire.

The fire quickly died away, but the pain did not. He turned his head and helplessly looked at the man who was slowly bleeding out beside him. Ed struggled to get back on his feet, and he prepared to clap, only to be struck with not one, but two fire blasts. One hit his flesh arm, and the other hit him in the same spot as the first one.

Ed fell to his hands and knees, shaken. Then, he fell to his side, and got one last look at the soldier, as well as the feet of many others surrounding him. There was no more movement in the soldier's chest, and the blood was so dark, it was nearly black.

"…No…" Ed croaked. Someone came behind Ed and unkindly pinned both arms behind his back, and tied them together. There was no way he could clap his hands, so he resorted to his last option. He flailed his right leg pathetically around, but his legs were quickly tied together, and they hadn't been mindful of his fresh wounds. He hollered with all his might for anyone to come and help but the invasion force was too far ahead for anybody to hear his pleas.

Ed was thrown onto one of the beasts, and trapped in between two soldiers. They hurriedly took a small path that went well around the invasion, and they headed into the seemingly deserted city. They reached a tall stone building, and Ed was slumped on one of the men's shoulders. There was a clanging of keys, and the injured alchemist was taken inside the building, which turned out to be a prison.

The prison was dark, but some light seeped through the tiny barred windows. Ed was tossed into a cell without care, and the barred door slammed behind him.

"Without this spirit's help, we can defeat the invasion." One of the soldiers said, then spat in Ed's face, then they both rushed out. Ed couldn't wipe the spit off of his nose with his hands, so he desperately rubbed his face against the stone floor.

Some of it came off, but the loogie was the least of his problems. The ropes were chaffing horribly against his burns, and all he could do about it was moan.

"Help! Anybody! Please!" Ed bellowed, even though he knew no one would answer. Aang was busy in the palace, and his other friends were busy fighting outside the city's walls. They probably didn't even realize he was missing yet.

"My friends need me! My brother needs me! Help! …It hurts, somebody…save me." Ed's yelling reduced to whispers as his throat became dry. His hair, that had long fallen out of its braid, clung to his sweaty face and neck. It was going to be okay, once the invasion won, he would be saved. He wouldn't have to be in excruciating pain for much longer.

Then Ed remembered the whole city had been deserted. The people were gone, so the leader would be as well. Aang wouldn't be able to find the leader because he wasn't here. Ed panicked and tried to move. Pain shot through him, so he stopped struggling. What was he going to do? What were these people going to do with him?

* * *

The sky suddenly went dark, and Ed could barely see. The eclipse was finally starting, and Ed wasn't out there to support his friends. There were several loud crashes and bangs from within the prison, and the sound of footsteps filled the dank hall.

An old jacked man came running down the corridor, and past Ed's cell. He stopped, and backed up to look at the strange boy. Ed goggled at the geezer, noticing how buff he was. He almost reminded Ed of what an old Armstrong would look like. The man suddenly broke down the door and knelt next to Ed.

His eyes were amber, just like most of the other fire freaks, so Ed was mortified and tried to squirm away, only causing more pain.

"It's okay, I'm a friend." The man had a kind raspy voice, and he gently untied the binds. Ed sat up and tried to stand, but he felt too weak. How pathetic…

"Try not to move." Carefully, the man picked Ed up with one arm and carried him like a baby. "Where are you from?" The man took Ed outside, and the sun was completely engulfed by the moon.

"…Invasion…" Ed's voice was now very hoarse from his useless shouting. The man nodded and smiled. Quite unexpectedly, the image of the man Ed stabbed invaded his mind. No, now was not the time. But, he was a killer now, and this kind man was saving him. He didn't deserve this kindness…

"Please, put me back." The man stared at Ed with shock.

"What? Why?"

"I…I k-killed him. He's dead. A-all my fault." Ed looked at his still transmuted blade and saw the blood that was encrusted on it.

"You're going to be fine." The man patted the distraught boy's head. "I'm sure it wasn't your fault. Now, we need to find your friends." The man readjusted Ed so he was carrying him with both arms, and he quickly, but carefully, rushed towards the warriors.

The man was careful, as it seemed like he didn't want to be seen by either side of the soldiers and warriors. He rushed to the beach and caught up with the invasion, and got the attention of a person in the back of the group.

"Who're you? Ed?" The warrior in blue asked, but Ed did not recognize who it was.

"This child is hurt, make sure he is healed right away." The man delicately put Ed in the warrior's arms, and quickly vanished. The warrior ran to Appa, yelling at the others to get out of the way.

"Ed!" Came the cry from multiple people. He was gently placed into Appa's saddle, and he positioned himself on his side.

"I'll miss you, Pipsqueak." Ed vaguely heard from a small boy.

"…I'm not dead yet, and don' call me short…" Ed growled, with still not enough energy to yell. He realized the voice wasn't aimed at him, but a large guy standing next to Appa. Why did everyone look so sad? They must've lost, and now, it was time to part ways. Ed couldn't concentrate on any of the good byes, and he started to slip into unconsciousness. He didn't want to, but he ached and his burns still felt like they were on fire, so Ed's mind shut down.

* * *

Slowly, and still in pain, Ed woke up with heavy eyes. His burns didn't hurt as much, and they kind of felt cool. He suddenly realized Katara was using water to heal them, which he was immediately grateful for. With the number of times Katara had saved him, he was never going to be able to repay her.

"Ed, are you up?" Katara asked. Ed nodded his head slightly and shut his eyes. "We were so worried."

"Yeah," Sokka said softly. "One minute, you were fine, and the next, you vanished. What happened?"

"…I…" Ed gulped. "I killed somebody…I ended his life." Ed scrunched his face and bit the bottom of his lip. "I don't deserve your help." Ed pulled away from Katara's healing hands. "Take me back and get rid of me." Ed felt very unclean, and his arm was still covered with dried blood.

"Don't talk like that." Aang called from the top of Appa's head.

"He's gone. What if he had children?" Ed's mind wandered, and he thought of Hughes. His stomach churned so bad, he thought he was going to puke.

"Please, it wasn't your fault. Let me heal you." Ed didn't oppose, not that he had the energy to say otherwise. His head hung low as Katara healed his burns, and he made sure he wouldn't cry from the pain and guilt. He sniffled and stared into the sky.

Toph clutched onto Ed's automail arm, and she spoke softly, "I don't like flying. Can I hold your arm?" Ed was shocked, Toph usually held on to the saddle, but that was very rare. She seemed perfectly fine with flying, but she was gripping his automail now.

"Sure." Ed mustered a tiny smile.

* * *

**Alrighty. How did you like them apples? **

**Here's the scoop. I will not have internet access for a little over a week, so your next update won't be for awhile. Probably 8/14 or 8/15. Thanks for understanding.**

**As always, I write these chapters late, so if you see any obvious mistakes, don't hesitate to tell me.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! **


	13. Hypocrisy

**Hey guys! Early update, aren't you excited?! I sure am! I have some news for you all once you get to the end of this chapter.**

**Duskrider: I don't deal with relationships when I write; it's really not my thing. I thought I would add the Ed thinking about Winry in there because I love how embarrassed Ed gets. Toph was comforting Ed as a friend, nothing more. Sorry to disappoint you. :P**

**A Mysterious Illusion: I hate it when I'm reading a good fan fiction and it hasn't been updated forever, and there's no author note explaining what happened. Since I'm a nice person, I let people know if my updates are going to be late…and look…early update!**

**AkumanoshippoNiamh: Hello my other lovely reviewer…Don't kill me. But, doesn't everyone like killing?…No?**

**Fangirl2013: Thank you!**

**Reaperfrost8: In Brotherhood, Ed resolved to not kill anyone. He would probably be devastated if he broke his promise to himself and his brother. **

* * *

Hypocrisy

Appa couldn't carry the weight of both his armor and the kids for very long. When the coast looked clear, they landed and everybody walked, except for Ed, who was told to rest in the saddle. He didn't want to lie down helplessly like a piece of luggage, he wanted to shamefully walk with the kids from the invasion. Who let these children fight anyway? The only one who was older than Ed and Sokka was the guy with the moustache.

Sure, Ed's military recruited him when he was only twelve, but that was under special circumstances. Plus, he hadn't even been called to fight…yet. Katara came up briefly for another healing session and soothed the burns. The marks were less noticeable, but they would still most likely scar, not that Ed really cared.

Another thing that made Ed feel stupid was that he was wearing only his tank top and boxers, so clothes didn't rub against the tender wounds. His hair flowed freely because he didn't want to ask anyone to help him to braid his hair; that would be ridiculous. He felt like a stupid piece of useless luggage that was to be gawked at.

"Have you been scratching your wounds?" Katara asked accusingly. Of course he was, he had nothing else better to do.

"No."

"Stop itching them. Do you want to talk?"

"No."

"Fine. I'll be back in a while. Okay?" Ed grunted a 'yes' and Katara joined with the others. There were three new boys that joined the group; Teo, Haru, and The Duke. The kids with the strange names didn't converse with Ed, but then again, Ed wasn't talking with anybody. He didn't feel like talking loud so they could hear him from on top of Appa. He preferred solitude, with only Momo for company.

The lemur was curled up next to Ed's chest, sleeping without a care in the world. Ed wished he could do the same, but he simply woke up shortly after falling asleep. It wasn't fair everyone else had to walk while he took it easy. The burning pain also didn't allow Ed to get comfortable enough to sleep.

Despite Katara's protests, Ed put his hand on his leg, and furiously scratched the irritating burn. It hurt, but there was a small feeling of relief. Unfortunately, Katara came up and saw Ed's lightly bloodied hand and leg.

"Stop that, you're hurting yourself." Ed stopped festering his leg, and went for the burn on his arm. Katara grabbed his right arm gently, and pulled it away before he could scratch the raw burn. "Please stop. No one wants to see you hurt." She took out her water pouch and began to heal the wounds.

"I'm fine."

"You need to stop blaming yourself."

"Go away." Ed said softly, then added a forced, "Please."

"Okay. Get some sleep, you're body needs rest." Ed nodded dully and Katara wrapped up with the healing and left. He closed his eyes, but he wasn't sleepy. It seemed like his senses were in overload.

"What happened to him?" The voice was unfamiliar to Ed.

"He was attacked and kidnapped by the Fire Nation." Ed was pretty sure that was Sokka.

"Oh, that's awful. What did they do to him?"

"We're still not sure. He said he hurt someone, then he was captured." No, he didn't hurt the soldier, he killed him. An innocent man was dead because of him. What would Al say when he found out? Would he hate him or forgive him? Maybe he should never mention it again, but the guilt would be too strong. He would go insane from hiding a secret like that and crack. Then Al would hate him for both lying and killing a man.

Maybe he would never be able go home. He failed at saving this country, so how was he supposed to save his own? There were no Philosopher Stones here, so what was he going to sacrifice to the Gate? It was going to be impossible to get home…unless…

"I could make one." Ed said dryly, then he panicked. Why did he just say that?! He would never kill anyone just so he could go home. No one would ever forgive him then. The burnt skin was starting to bubble, so he ferociously attacked the blistering skin with his hand. Momo chattered obnoxiously and hissed.

"Ed!" Katara called. "Stop itching." Damn lemur; it wasn't some stupid animal.

"You traitor." Ed grumbled to Momo and poked the lemur's nose. Momo curled back up and made noises whenever Ed threatened to fester his wounds. Fire left terrible pains, and Ed couldn't help but think of Mustang. Was this how Lust felt, but on a much larger scale, when Mustang destroyed her? Ed shuddered and made a mental note to never cross any lines with the Flame Alchemist.

* * *

"We're here!" Toph exclaimed and Appa stopped walking. Ed peered carefully over the saddle without exerting himself and saw a massive canyon. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to be looking at. He didn't even remember where they were going, since he had been out when they fled.

Everyone boarded Appa, and the great beast flew down into the canyon, revealing a massive temple, filled with upside down buildings. The architecture was fascinating, and it was nothing like Ed had ever seen before. Unmindful of his wounds, Ed sat up to get a better view and took in the wonderful surroundings.

Appa landed in the temple next to a large fountain. Katara helped Ed out of the saddle and walked him over to the water. He put his injured leg and arm awkwardly in the water, trying to avoid getting his automail wet. The water felt amazing, and it only felt better when Katara started another healing session.

"Can you please tell me what happened?" Ed sighed and drooped his head; he knew he would have to tell his friends what happened sooner or later.

"I was taking out the battlements, just like you were. I…I was being careless, and I killed him." Ed gulped and looked into Katara's kind eyes.

"Who?" Ed shrugged his shoulders.

"A soldier." Katara seemed to be at a loss of words, but she was still going to try.

"…He was the enemy. It's not your fault." Ed stood up and almost fell in the process.

"He was innocent! Just because his leader is evil, it doesn't mean he was!" Ed shouted and got the attention of everyone else. They all came over to see what the problem was.

"He was Fire Nation, of course he was bad." Sokka said, although, Aang didn't seem to approve.

"Shut up! You're all just a bunch of ignorant morons!" Ed limped away as fast as he could towards the inside of the temple. He knew he was being followed, so he transmuted a wall to block off the door, even though Toph could tear it down if she wanted to.

As expected, Toph destroyed the wall, but Ed continued to limp down the winding corridors. He didn't want them anywhere near him until he had a chance to cool down, but they were persistent on finding him. It didn't take them long to catch up with him because of his limp.

"Hey, what's your problem? Running away again?" Sokka demanded. Ed turned around and glared at all of them.

"Go away. I'm not going anywhere. Leave me alone." Ed slumped against a wall and waited for them to turn around. Instead, they came closer, and Ed was growing angry with them.

"Are you upset about the soldier?" Katara asked, to which Ed snorted. Of course he was.

"Listen, my country is just like the Fire Nation. We invade other countries and send soldiers away to control the people." Ed then stared at Aang. "We've even killed off an entire race. So, does that make me, as an individual, bad?" The group was slightly shocked at Ed's revelation.

"But, you're not a soldier. You didn't fight for them." Sokka said reassuringly. Ed's eyes widen a bit, and he began to laugh deliriously.

"I've been in the military since I was twelve. Does that make me an evil person? Are you going to kill me without a second thought?" Ed stood tall with his hands at his waist. He glared at his friends defiantly, waiting for an answer. They stared at him silently, which pissed him off; these people were oblivious to everything.

"You've been in the military for three years?" Sokka asked, surprised.

"Almost four. So, does that make me the bad guy?" His friends slowly shook their heads, still unsure of themselves. "These people aren't evil. None of them deserve to die; you don't know how I feel." Ed slumped his head and looked at his feet. He had ended a life, and that soldier was never coming back.

"What about the people who burnt you?" It was one of the new kids in the group. The answer was not difficult to find.

"No. They were defending themselves." Sure, they hit Ed when he was down, which made them cowards, but they weren't villains because of that.

"I'm sorry, we'll get through this." Aang seemed to be the only one who truly understood Ed's anguish. "Come on, we're going to explore the area." Aang smiled hopefully.

"No thanks. It hurts when saddle bounces around." It wasn't a complete lie, but Ed really wanted to be left alone.

"Okay, but I want to check your burns before we go." Ed heeded Katara's words and followed them back to the water fountain. He shrugged off anyone who tried to help him walk as he limped down the hallway. Katara made Ed lay down in the shallow water, which he wasn't to fond of because of his inability to swim. The others seemed to be struggling to take Appa's armor off, and Ed groaned at his own uselessness.

The healing sensation felt fabulous on Ed's prickling burns. Once the session was over, Ed managed to get out of the fountain and he let Katara dry him off with bending.

"Are you sure you want to stay here?" She asked sweetly. Ed's eyebrow twitched; he felt like he was being treated like a child. Ed nodded and sat down carefully with his back against a stone pillar.

His friends climbed onto Appa and Katara shouted out, "Don't itch yourself."

"Yeah, yeah." Ed realized he was scratching his arm, and he stopped until they flew away to check out the forest above. Ed sighed and picked himself up. The breeze felt refreshing, but the effects of the healing were already starting to fade. He groaned and staggered on the outer perimeter of the vast temple.

Ed peered over the edge and gasped slightly. The drop off was so far, he couldn't even see the bottom of the ravine. He backed away quickly, in case the rock decided to give away. Al would kill him if he died a stupid death.

Aimlessly walking soon grew old, so he stopped, then noticed a figure climbing down a rope in the distance. Ed hobbled to the swinging person, who had now jumped onto solid ground, until he could make out distinct features. He could see red clothes and dark messy hair.

"Mustang?" Ed asked incredulously. The kid turned around and held up his fists defensively. It was definitely not the colonel, as there was a very large scar around his left eye.

"Who are you?" The boy asked angrily.

"My name is Ed." He was curious about the scarred newcomer.

"Don't lie to me! Did Azula send you?" Sheesh, this guy seemed very paranoid. Azula? Was that another strange country? Ed raised his arms, with slight difficulty, to show he didn't want to fight. The boy was obviously a fire freak, and Ed didn't feel like getting burned again. The stranger let his eyes wander the deep mark on Ed's flesh arm, and he dropped his stance a little.

"What-?"

"I'm not a spirit!" Ed assumed that the kid was going to ask what he was. "I'm tired of you idiots saying that!" Ed was also tired of losing so many fights. It seemed the way people fought here was cheating, and they liked to attack from behind like cowards. He was going to show this fire bastard that alchemy was far superior to their lame 'bending'. Ed clapped his hands and winced in pain, and encased the unsuspecting boy in rock, leaving only his head sticking out.

"I was only going to ask what happened to your arm! And how did you bend lightning and earth?" The kid looked terrified and struggled to find a way out of the box. Ed breathed heavily and placed his automail arm on his forehead.; he was tired of explaining how alchemy worked. No one really seemed to understand fully the science behind alchemy, but at least they accepted it.

"Don't worry about it. Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Zuko." The kid looked nervous, and gave Ed a big smile, which looked fake. "I'm good now." The name sounded vaguely familiar, and Ed recalled the memory of his first encounter with his friends. They had asked him if Zuko sent him, and at the time, he assumed it was an enemy country after he was attacked for saying yes. As it turned out, Zuko was a person, who happened to be trapped Jack-in-the-box style.

"Zuko? Doesn't ring a bell." Ed hoped he could get some information out of the kid. Zuko took a breath of relief.

"So Azula didn't send you."

"No. What's Azula?" It sounded like it could be the name of a country, or a color.

"She's my little sister." Ed didn't hear the disgust in the voice.

"Oh, are you lost? Is that why you think she sent me?" Zuko laughed half-heartedly.

"I'm not lost anymore; this is where I'm supposed to be."

"But, this is an abandoned temple." Something then clicked in Ed's mind. "You…ran away from home?" Zuko nodded and had a tiny smile on his face. Ed's lip twitched, and he clapped his hands forcefully, ignoring the pain that shot through his arm. The healing affects had completely worn off, but he didn't care.

Fists of earth popped out of the ground and hit the trapped brat, which sent him flying.

"What was that for?" The boy bellowed and jumped back onto his feet, ready to attack.

"You abandoned your family. How could you do that to your sister?"

"You're crazy!" Ed sent more fists, but Zuko managed to narrowly dodge them.

"You bastard! An older brother is supposed to protect his siblings! Get out of here and apologize to your family." One of Ed's angry attacks finally hit Zuko in the chest, and the boy went down with a thump.

Ed limped slowly to Zuko, trying with difficulty not to apply pressure to his injured leg. He stooped over the boy who was breathing rapidly to catch his breath. "You're a disgrace. Do you have no decency? No respect? No honor?" Ed spat as he spoke, and his eyes were like orbs of fire.

At the last part of Ed's rant, Zuko quickly got to his feet and aimed a punch at him. Ed easily moved out of the way and watched as fire spurted from the boy's fist. To cause no further harm, Ed grabbed the outstretched hand and pinned the arm behind the moron's back. It didn't take much to force Zuko to the ground, but it did hurt Ed's leg to bend and keep control of the arm.

"Get off of me! Who are you? Where's the Avatar?" The boy turned his head and gave Ed an angry glare.

"Shut up. I'm not telling you anything." Zuko struggled, but couldn't escape Ed's iron grip. Ed loosened his automail hand slightly, otherwise he risked seriously damaging the boy's arm. Zuko continued to struggle and yell at his captor to let go. In an attempt to throw Ed off, Zuko raised his legs and managed to kick Ed in the back of his knees. Ed released his grip and buckled, then he held his leg tenderly. Zuko stood up and threw his arm back, like he was preparing to punch Ed.

Knowing fire would be coming, Ed rolled out of the way and felt the heat of flames behind him.

"Where is he?" The angry jerk demanded.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to be more specific." The boy threw more kicks and punches, all which resulted in spurts of fire. Ed dodged most of the blind attacks easily, and he laughed deliriously. He hadn't sparred like this since ending up in the country.

"Stay still, you little peasant!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PIPSQUEAK SO SHORT THAT-" Ed stopped in his tracks and cut his rant short. A fireball went flying near his face, so he rolled away. He clapped his hands and transmuted his signature blade onto his automail. The adrenaline that had been pumping in his veins started to calm down, and pain from the strenuous fighting started to take over.

Ed managed to catch the boy off guard and aimed the blade at his vulnerable neck. Zuko held his hands in surrender and glanced at Ed furiously.

"Not short!" Ed spat out. The boy looked down at Ed and stared at the blade that threatened him, which still had dried blood on it. "Sit down!" Ed demanded the boy who was at least a foot or two taller than he was. Zuko slowly bent down and sat with his legs crossed, and still gazed at Ed.

"What have you done with the Avatar?" The kid breathed and was noticeably calmer.

"Nothing. They just went for a ride. Why do you care?"

"I need to teach him firebending."

"And why the hell would he need to learn that?" Ed snapped as his injured arm and leg started to tremble. He backed his automail away a little, so he didn't accidentally slice Zuko's neck.

"So he can defeat my father." Ed withdrew his arm, but kept it ready at his side.

"Why? What did your old man do?" The kid let out a quick laugh when he saw Ed's angry face.

"My father is the Fire Lord." The two stared at each other in brief silence.

"Oh. Then why do you want to beat him? Doesn't he care about you?" Zuko's hand went up to his face and he gingerly touched the large scar on his eye.

"No. I finally just saw him after three years." Ed understood the gesture; Zuko's father had caused the burn. Ed didn't imagine Zuko's father had been the one to leave, so maybe he had his kid locked away. The problem was Zuko was good at fighting, so there was no way he spent the last three years in prison. His father had to of sent him away. That bastard!

Ed looked down at his automail and wiped the blood off, then transmuted it back to normal. Ed offered his metal arm to the sitting boy, which he accepted and pulled himself up.

"Come on. Aang should be back soon with the others." Ed started to head over to the fountain, but his path was cut off by Zuko. The kid seemed to be very concerned.

"What happened to you? Those look fresh."

Ed grumbled, "Invasion." He began to scratch the oozing mark on his arm.

"Don't scratch it, trust me." Ed stuck his tongue out and Zuko rolled his eyes.

"I'm fine. It doesn't hurt that much." The continued to walk to the fountain, and they sat down when they finally reached their destination. The aftermath of their fight was still visible, especially Ed's attacks. Ed dipped his damaged arm into the brisk water, and he used his automail leg to rub against his leg wound.

"Stop doing that! You're going to make it worse." Ed grumpily spread his feet apart, but his whole leg started to violently twitch. "I'm sorry, I can't remember what my uncle used to heal mine." Ed shrugged, but smiled at the notion; a few minutes ago, they had been trying to kill each other, and now they acted like nothing happened.

"When you were away from home, did you know Aang? They seemed to recognize your name." Ed made sure to choose his words carefully, since Zuko had a fuse as short as Ed's.

"Yeah." Zuko hesitated, and seemed like he didn't want to talk about it, like if he said something wrong, he would lose the trust of the alchemist.

"Well, they thought I was sent by you."

"Oh. What did they do?" Zuko raised an eyebrow.

"They attacked me and stole my arm and leg."

"Sorry about that." Ed shook his head.

"It wasn't your fault, it was mine. What did you do to make them hate you?"

"I, uh…betrayed them, but I now regret it." Zuko said hopefully. "But I know they hate me. How am I supposed to convince them I'm on their side?"

"Did you try practicing what you were going to say?" Zuko crossed his arms and mumbled something about a 'badgerfrog'. "Don't worry, they're good kids…Aang has been trying to help me…" Ed trailed off and involuntarily thought of the dreaded killing. Ed shook his head and looked at Zuko. "I did something terrible and Aang is the only one who understands what I did. I assure you, whatever you did to them isn't as bad as what I've done. If they forgave me, they'll forgive you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. If not, I'll knock some sense into them." Ed held his right arm into a fist to prove his point, and Zuko put a small, but real, smile on his face.

"Thanks." Ed nodded once and Appa came into view. Both boys stood up and walked over to the area the bison would land. Zuko looked nervous and he was taking very deep breaths.

"Hey guys! I found a friend of yours." Ed yelled over to the group when Appa landed. Everyone climbed off to see what Ed was talking about. As soon as they saw the boy next to Ed, they switched to defensive mode, and Zuko raised a hand.

"Hello, Zuko here."

"Ed! Are you okay?" Katara asked with a panicked voice.

"Get away from him!" Sokka shouted to his friend. Ed stared at Zuko curiously and waved unenthusiastically at his friends to show he was fine. Zuko must've done something bad if his friends hated him.

"I heard you guys flying around down there, so, I just thought I'd wait for you here." Appa growled and sniffed Zuko, which was followed up by a slobbering lick. "I know you must be surprised to see me here."

"Not really, since you've followed us around the world." Ed raised an eyebrow at Sokka's statement.

"Did you stalk them?" Ed asked quietly so only Zuko heard.

"Something like that." Zuko then spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. "What I wanted to tell you about is that I've changed and I, uh, I'm good now, and well I think should join your group. Oh, and I can teach firebending to you." Zuko nodded his head towards Aang. "See, I, uh…"

"You want to what now?" Toph sounded shocked, and she even dropped her stance a little bit. Ed looked back and forth from Zuko to the group of kids. He didn't think Zuko was that bad of a kid, but his friends seemed to think so.

"You can't possibly think that any of us would trust you, can you?" Katara sounded rather harsh, and Zuko looked at Ed, then pointed a finger at him.

"He does."

"He doesn't know who you are. All you've ever done is hunt us and try to capture Aang!" Ed snorted at Sokka's accusation; he, himself, had done worse things to the group.

"I've done some good things! I mean, I could've stolen your bison in Ba Sing Se, but I set him free!" Appa licked Zuko again. "That's something!" Ed didn't know what Zuko was talking about, but his friends still didn't appear to trust the kid.

"See!" Ed interjected. "He set Appa free, but I stole him. This guy is already better than me." Ed crossed his arms, which sent pain through his arm, and he hoped Zuko would get a second chance from whatever he had done.

"Appa does seem to like him." Oh, so they were going to just ignore Ed? How immature.

"He probably just covered himself in honey or something so Appa would lick him. I'm not buying it." Leave it to Sokka to try and find an explanation. That idiot; who would cover themselves in honey so they could get covered in saliva?

"I can understand why you wouldn't trust me, and I know I've made some mistakes in the past." Ed knew exactly how it felt to be in Zuko's position.

"Like when you attacked our village?" Sokka accused.

"Or when you stole my mother's necklace and used it to track us down and capture us?" Katara fumed.

"Look, I admit I've done some awful things. I was wrong to try to capture you, and I'm sorry that I attacked the Water Tribe. And I never should have sent that Fire Nation assassin after you." Everyone's eyes opened wide with shock. "I'm going to try and stop-" Ed face palmed; why the hell would Zuko admit to that? Stupid fool…

"Wait, you sent Combustion Man after us?" Sokka asked while he pulled out his boomerang.

"Well, that's not his name, but-" Okay, this kid needed to stop talking. He was only making the situation worse.

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to insult your friend."

"He is not my friend!" Ed backed away slightly, so he didn't get caught into a fight.

"That guy locked me and Katara in jail and tried to blow us all up!" Thanks a lot Toph, she hadn't mentioned Ed was there, too. This whole thing was going terribly, and it didn't look like his friends were planning on forgiving Zuko.

"You said they'd forgive me." Zuko hissed to Ed between his teeth.

"You didn't say you did all of those things to them." Ed retorted.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Zuko turned to Aang. "You once said we could be friends. You know I have good in me."

"There's no way we can trust you after everything you've done. We'll never let you join us." Aang spoke and Ed could hardly believe the hypocrisy, since they let Ed join them after he attacked them.

"You need to get out of here. Now." Katara was not usually the one to sound so malicious, but so far, her words to Zuko were the ones that sounded the most harsh.

"I'm trying to explain I'm not that person anymore!" These idiot kids just needed to get whatever grudge they were holding, but Ed didn't feel like interrupting, fearing he'd make it worse.

"Either you leave or we attack." Sokka was always the one to be blunt and to the point. Why couldn't they just get over the things Zuko did? He obviously regretted his actions.

"If you won't accept me as your friend, then maybe you'll take me as a prisoner." Zuko knelt down and Ed knew the kid was desperate. Why couldn't his friends see Zuko was sorry? Ed was going to knock sense into them very soon…

"No, we won't!" Katara blasted water at Zuko. "Get out of here, and don't come back! And if we ever see you again, well, we better not see you again!" Oooh, how threatening. Ed still couldn't believe he was allowed a second chance from his friends, but Zuko was being denied a chance. He had some ruthless friends, and idiotic ones at that.

Zuko walked away with his head slumped down, and he eventually vanished from sight. Ed furiously limped over to the group to apprehend them about their stupidity and hypocrisy.

"Why would he try to fool us like that?" Katara asked, and she looked peeved.

"He's not trying to trick you. He's sorry about what he did, why can't you see that?" Ed was met with some angry glares.

"He corrupted you. This has to be some sort of trap." Sokka just always had the explanation. Ed threw his arms up in defeat, and turned around, with his arms crossed.

"This is just like when we were trapped in Ba Sing Se. He starts talking about his mother and making it seem like he's an actual human being with feelings." Did Katara really just say that? Ed whipped around and stared at her with shock, then anger.

"What did you just say?" Ed was hoping he simply misheard her.

"He was talking about his mother, then he struck." So Ed had heard Katara right, she thought Zuko was an non-empathetic monster.

"Of course he's human with feelings. I'm starting to think you're the ones who don't have any." Ed hoped his friends would snap out of it and listen to his words.

"If you're such good friends with him, why don't you go and hang out with him?" Sokka's arms were crossed, and Ed had enough of their stupidity.

"Fine! I'm going to apologize to him, and when I come back, I'm going to beat sense into all of you." Ed stormed away, trying his best not to fall or trip from the pain that shot in his leg. No one yelled for him to come back, or even just yell his name. His eyes drooped slightly, but Ed knew his friends' judgment was being clouded by a resentment.

Ed walked out of sight and wandered the forest, hoping he would find where Zuko was hiding.

"Ugh! I can't believe how stupid I am!" Ed smiled. He found the confused boy and walked through the trees. "I mean, what was I thinking? Telling them I sent an assassin after them?"

"Clearly, you weren't thinking." Zuko zipped around to see who had spoken, and he relaxed when he saw it was Ed.

"I should have told them Azula sent him. They would've believed that! I'm stupid!"

"Yeah." Ed agreed, and Zuko stared at him.

"What are you doing here?" His voice sounded curious, not bitter.

"My friends aren't wanting to see reason. I tried talking with them, but…"

"Did they kick you out? I'm sorry, you shouldn't have helped me."

"No. I left. They just need some time to calm down. I didn't realize you did those things to them, it would've helped if I knew that before hand." Zuko shrugged. "You know, that assassin of yours tried to kill me." Zuko looked nervous. "You should've hired a better one." Ed grinned and sat with difficulty next to the fire.

"You don't hate me?" He sounded shocked.

"Of course not. I don't know you."

"But now you know what I did to them."

"So. It doesn't affect me. People shouldn't dwell on the past." Images of the failed transmutation, Nina, Hughes, and the dead soldier filled Ed's mind. Great, now _he_ was the hypocrite. "So, what exactly did you do?" Zuko sat down, and he told Ed about his past year persisting the Avatar. Night fell by the time Zuko finished, and Ed fell into a deep, nightmare filled sleep.

* * *

"Stupid! Stupid!" Zuko was banging his hand against his head when Ed groggily wiped the sleep out of his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Ed yawned and stood up to stretch, forgetting he was injured. When he moved his arm, he noticed his arm was feeling much better today.

"I burned her! Stupid!"

"Who did you burn?"

"I don't know! The little earth girl." Toph had been here in the middle of the night? Did she come to bring Ed back?

"I didn't mean to! She startled me, so I accidentally burned her feet! What should I do?" Toph's feet were burned? But that's how she echolocated. Hopefully she was safe.

"We need to go back. I have some unfinished business with those morons. They will accept you, if they like it or not." Thankfully, Ed's leg was also feeling better, so he was able to walk easier to the ruins.

"Oh no." Zuko gasped.

"What?" Zuko pointed and Ed saw the freaky assassin going towards the temple.

"I have to stop him." Zuko darted off and left Ed behind.

"Okay." Ed shouted after Zuko, even though he knew it wasn't going to be heard. By the time Ed managed to get to the temple, it was half destroyed. Zuko was talking with the other kids, and Aang motioned Ed to come over.

"Ed, what do you think?" Ed had no idea what Aang was talking about.

"Huh?"

"Him joining our group." Aang nodded his head to Zuko.

"Oh, so now it's okay for him to join? And you really need my input?" Aang nodded his head sheepishly. "Of course I think that's a good idea." Aang smiled.

"I won't let you down!" Zuko announced as the group dispersed. Just because they let him in the group, it didn't mean they accepted him.

Ed told Zuko to follow him and he showed him a spare room. "Don't worry, they'll lighten up. Eventually. We're going to eat soon, so settle in and come out for lunch." Zuko smiled and Ed walked out to give him some privacy. Katara rushed passed Ed and stormed angrily into Zuko's room.

"Nice to see you too." Ed grumbled to himself. He was glad his stupid friends finally saw reason and forgave Zuko's past. Too bad Ed wasn't going to be able to forgive his own past anytime soon.

* * *

**Bad news first: College is around the corner, and I just got a second job. I highly doubt this will be finished before then, so I will no longer be able to do my typical update every other day thing.**

**Good news: My chapters are getting longer, but that's not the news… I currently have a plan and plot for another FMA ATLA crossover! That's what I was doing this past week, drawing cover art for that and writing down ideas. I won't actually type it out until this one is done. I'll explain more when this is nearly complete.**

**Next update: 8/17 **

**As always, thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting, following, and whatever else it is you do.**


	14. Redemption

**Sorry. I keep lying to you about my updates. I honestly thought I wouldn't get done with this chapter until the 17****th****. Oh well. At least it's another early update instead of a late one. Also, I would like to ask you guys a question. How many words do you prefer to be in a chapter? I know mine are short compared to other writers, but sometimes, long chapters are overwhelming. I'd just like to know before I write the boiling rock and finale episodes. It doesn't matter to me, but I like to make you guys happy. Also, I lied about my other crossover fic. I uploaded a chapter yesterday. It had to be done! **

**A Mysterious Illusion: Thanks again for your many reviews! College doesn't start until 8/22, so you still might get a few more quick updates.**

* * *

Redemption

Ed's eyes were bloodshot, dull, and dry. He had been staring at the fire for most of the night, and no matter how much he tried to fall asleep, he simply woke up soon after closing his eyes. He hadn't seen or talked to his brother in what seemed like an eternity. Ed was desperate to return home, he wanted to see anybody from Amestris at this point; even if it was Mustang. Anything would do. Any little reminder of where he belonged.

This infernal place was starting to feel like Ed's own personnel hell. This damned land was slowly starting to destroy Ed's well being. He was an outcast here, even his own friends didn't accept him all of the time. It had been torturing enough to drive him crazy, which Ed knew he still hadn't recovered from yet; he was walking on a thin line with his sanity. He had been arrogant enough to think he could help these people win their war, and go back home after the invasion. The thought was foolish, and the invasion had failed. There was no Stone here, so Ed didn't know how he was going to manage transmuting himself back without killing himself. One last thing about this place was still eating away at Ed's mind. Murder.

Carelessness had caused Ed to kill. A tiny little miscalculation had ended a life. Ed wished his wounds still hurt as a punishment for what he did, but Katara had done an excellent job with healing them. There was no way to cope with his inner demons, and he wasn't safe from his nightmares even when he was awake. Would Al hate his older brother? Of course he would, but he would eventually forgive Ed. And that's what hurt the most. Forgiveness. The sight of killing someone with his own hand would forever be impregnated into Ed's mind, a memory that Al would never be able to see. Al would be able to forgive his brother because he had not seen the sight, but Ed was forced to play it over and over within his mind. He would never forgive himself.

The sky started to turn from black to light blue, and Ed groaned. He didn't sleep one bit that night, so he felt very drowsy, and of course, hungry. Zuko came out of his room shortly after the sun peeked into view. Today was the day Aang was going to learn how to bend fire, and Ed wanted to be as far as possible from the kid when he messed with flames.

Figuring the water fountain would be safe, Ed sat down in the low water, careful to not slip into sleep. If he wasn't alert, he could easily drown before he knew what was going on.

Aang finally woke up and joined with the impatient Zuko. Aang punched the air, and a little puff of smoke spurted from his fist. His firebending didn't appear to be a strong suit. Ed couldn't hear what the were saying, but the younger of the two stepped back, while the other made a motion. A small stream of fire erupted, but quickly dissipated. Zuko looked baffled and tried again, each result worse than the previous attempt.

Ed yawned while he watched Zuko struggle to throw a decent ball of fire. The attempts were futile. Sokka walked by and eagerly bit into a juicy apple. Ed wanted to know where he got the fruit, but Sokka had walked by quickly towards Aang and Zuko.

"Get out of here!" Zuko yelled loud enough for Ed to hear, and Sokka dropped his apple.

"…Jerkbending…ha!" Sokka snickered as he trotted by Ed. His eyes felt heavy, so Ed shut his eyelids. He darted back into attention when he felt his back slipping into the water. Ed decided it was best to leave the water and he sat down next to the fire so his clothes could dry. Katara woke up and didn't hesitate to do another healing session, on both Ed and Toph, but she kept on glaring at Aang and Zuko.

With a great look of defeat on his face, Zuko came over and plopped down by the fire, sitting next to Ed.

"I've lost my stuff." Zuko's head dropped.

"Hey, I don't look at me. I didn't touch your stuff." Toph's arms were crossed like she had been accused before.

"I'm talking about my firebending. It's gone." These people could lose their ability to control the elements? As far as Ed knew, alchemy didn't just stop working.

Katara started to laugh, and was met with many stares. "I'm sorry. I'm just laughing at the irony. You know, how it would've been nice for us if you lost your firebending a long time ago." Huh, well that was convenient timing…

"Well, it's not lost. It's just…weaker for some reason."

"Maybe you're not as good as you think you are." Ed could hardly believe those words came out of Katara. She was so nice, and had never insulted him after he joined their group.

"Ouch." Toph grinned, but Zuko ignored her.

"I bet it's because I changed sides." That's how their bending was fueled? Based on who they fought for? It seemed too farfetched.

"That's ridiculous." Ed completely agreed with Katara.

"I don't know." Of course, Master Aang would have the answer. Ed rolled his eyes and tried not to fall asleep. "Maybe it isn't. Maybe your firebending comes from rage and you don't have enough anger to fuel it the way you used to." Ed laughed out loud, remembering the fight he and Zuko had when they first met.

"What?" Ed asked when his friends stared at him. "He seemed plenty angry the other day. He was moving fire easy enough." Sokka nodded and pulled out his sword.

"Ed's right. So, all we have to do is make Zuko angry. Easy enough." Sokka poked Zuko with the butt of the sword and laughed like a demon.

"Okay, cut it out!" Zuko yelled and Sokka slinked away. "Look even if you're right, I-" Ed couldn't do it anymore. He slipped into a deep sleep before he finished listening to the conversation.

* * *

"Ed." Someone shook him, but he remained laying down.

"Go 'way, Al." He grumbled and tried to fall back asleep.

"Ed, wake up."

"I'll drink the milk later." Ed wiggled his body and reached around to grab a blanket. His hand found nothing, so he left his extended arm where it was.

"Ed!" He wrapped his arms around his ears, hoping he would be allowed to sleep.

"Aw." There was now a second person trying to wake him up. "Look how little he is when he sleeps." Ed's eyes shot open and he stood up and glared at Sokka.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A BEAN?!" Sokka raised his hands defensively and walked away. Katara grabbed Ed's automail arm and dragged him to the fountain to heal his burns.

"Can I ask you a favor?" Ed glanced up at Katara and nodded. He was glad he was being asked for help, so he could start working on repaying his healer. "I want you to go with Zuko and Aang."

"Why, are they going somewhere?"

"They're going to the Sun Warrior ruins."

"Huh?" Katara shrugged and glared at Zuko with malice, who was boarding Appa.

"Please, just watch Aang for me."

"Okay, I'll baby-sit your boyfriend." Ed remembered how the two had briefly kissed, and it was obvious they liked each other. Katara's cheeks turned a dark shade of pink.

"He's not…"

"Yeah, whatever." Ed waved his hand and smiled mischievously at the blushing girl. Zuko and Aang were surprised Ed wanted to come along, but they did not oppose. As soon as Appa took off, Ed closed his eyes and began to snore.

* * *

Ed yawned and stretched his arms. He felt ready for the day as he finally had an adequate amount of sleep; not as much as he would've liked, but it was good enough. Zuko sat across from Ed with his arms folded.

"How long was I out?" Ed asked between yawns.

"About four hours. I don't know why, but I thought this thing would be faster."

"You thought a gravity-defying beast would be faster?" Ed grumbled to Zuko so Aang didn't hear. Appa growled and Aang shouted back to them.

"Appa's right, Zuko. In our group, typically we start our missions with a more upbeat attitude." Zuko and Ed both groaned.

"I can't believe this." Zuko said under his breath.

"What? Him talking to the bison, or his positive attitude?"

"Both." Ed smirked.

"Don't worry, you get used to it." Soon enough, an island came into view. Appa landed and the three walked into the valley, admiring the architecture of the ruins. Ed strayed from his companions and felt the carved walls and looked at the circular patterns that adorned them. There was no way they were transmutation circles, but the resemblance was eerie.

"I think the past is trying to kill me!" Aang shouted and Ed panicked. He wasn't doing a very good job watching the kid, so he rushed over to make sure everyone was okay. Aang was on the other side of a chasm full of spikes, and Zuko jumped on the wall to get across. Ed rolled his eyes; the guy was a showoff. With a quick clap, Ed transmuted the pit to it's original no-spikes state and casually walked over to his friends.

They climbed many sets of stairs until they reached a large mural, which consisted of dragons, fire, and a man in the center. It was illuminating and Ed couldn't help but think the fire was in a circular pattern. But what did it mean?

"I thought the dragons were friends with the Sun Warriors." Ed managed to listen back in the conversation after he was done being memorized by the painting.

"Dragons?" Ed knew dragons were just a myth, but the way his friends were talking made it sound like they existed.

Zuko nodded his head once. "They had a funny way of showing it.

"Zuko, something happened to the dragons in-"

"Dragons aren't real, you idiot." Zuko and Aang both stopped in their tracks and stared unbelievingly at Ed. "What? Don't look at me like that."

"They're real. Roku had one."

"Who?"

"The Avatar before me."

"Right. You're his alleged reincarnation." Ed sneered and observed the expressions on his friends' faces; Aang didn't look surprised, since they had this conversation many times before. Zuko looked like he had been slapped across the face.

"He doesn't believe in the Avatar cycle." Aang explained quietly to Zuko, who's head was now tilted.

"Once you're dead, you're dead." Ed said dully. Mom. Nina. Hughes. The soldier. They were all dead, and they would never return. Never. Ed was growing sick of the vision of the soldier, he hadn't even known the man's name. So he was simply, the soldier. Ed was determined to learn the name of the man he had killed, for that soldier would never forget his killer's name. (Even though it wasn't Ed's real name the fire people used, it still had the same effect)

After a few moments of silence, Aang turned back to Zuko. "There's something you're not telling me about the dragons."

"My great-grandfather Sozin happened. He started the tradition of hunting dragons for glory-" Ed tuned out the historical information about creatures that did not exist. Blah, blah, history, blah, myths, blah, blah. "-was conquered long before I was born, by my uncle." Ed gazed up at Zuko and noticed his eye color was the typical fire freak amber color. But they looked vaguely familiar, and looking into the eyes made him think of the word _friend_. Ed ignored the back story full of dragons and tried to remember why the eyes looked so familiar.

Right as he almost figured it out, a glint of red struck Ed's eye. They had arrived at a large locked door, with a large circle carved into the ground. Imbedded into the top of the door was a large red stone. Ed's eyes widened and he pushed his friends away as he tore between them to get the Philosopher's Stone.

"I'm going home!" Ed shouted with all his might. He used the engravings on the door to climb to the top and retrieve his prize.

"Ed! What are you doing?!" Ed didn't know or care which boy had spoken, he was finally going to leave this damned place for good. He reached out and tried to tear the red stone out of the wall, but it didn't budge. He wasn't in any position to clap his hands, so he furiously pounded the area surrounding the stone with his right hand until the wall started to crack. He shimmied the rock out of the door and he jumped. Quickly, Ed transmuted a blade onto his arm, and his friends stared at him with shock.

The circle in the ground looked large enough, so Ed carved new lines within the circle, which resulted in a large transmutation circle. Just as he was about to activate the circle, someone forced the stone out of his hand. It was Zuko.

"What are you doing?"

"Give that back!" Ed growled to the thieving fire freak. He desperately reached for the stone, but Zuko held it high above his head, knowing Ed couldn't grab it up there. What Zuko wasn't expecting was a punch to his gut, and he nearly doubled over. Ed maliciously ripped the stone out of Zuko's hand and prepared to clap.

"Stop it!" Aang shouted and looked at the alchemist with fear. Ed had a crazed look in his eyes, and his hair was wildly falling out of his ponytail. Aang grabbed Ed's arm and stopped him from transmuting. "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm leaving." Ed tore away from Aang and held up the stone delightfully, but then, his heart seemed to drop. He remembered using Envy's core and how it felt with amplified alchemic power. Holding this stone didn't make Ed feel any more powerful. There were no souls pleading to end their misery. The red stone was just a stone. Nothing more.

The stone was smashed into pieces when Ed threw it at the iron door. He felt disgusted when he looked at the circle in the ground. The circle that _he_ had carved. Without a second thought, Ed clapped and touched the ground a few inches away from the circle, and caused the land to shift, which successfully destroyed the array. A second clap returned his automail back to normal.

"Are you okay?" Both boys asked when Ed slumped to the ground. He nodded his head uneasily and looked at the smashed pieces of red stone. Nothing here was as it seemed, he should've known better.

"What was that?" Ed asked softly. No doubt the boys thought that was a strange question after that little display of his.

"It was a sunstone. It was supposed to unlock the door, but…gah! What's your problem?!" Zuko yelled at Ed with a harsh voice. Ed winced, but he deserved it.

"I thought it was something else. You really want to get inside that room?" Ed asked, hoping his friends wouldn't question him about his actions.

"Of course we do! Weren't you listening to us at all?" A vain started to throb on Zuko's forehead.

"Not really." Ed admitted and walked to the door. He clapped his hands and made a doorway into the dark room. They walked in and Aang jumped back at the sight of a large statue.

"Relax. They're just statues." Ed knew he liked the new addition; he seemed alert and knowledgeable, except for the part where he thought dragons were real.

"It says this is something called the Dancing Dragon." Aang was standing in front of the statue, and mimicked the movement shown. Ed watched curiously while standing next to the statue. The ground caved in, and Aang and Ed looked at each other with understanding.

"No." Ed said and held up his finger before Aang had a chance to speak.

"Fine." Aang grumbled and excitedly dashed to Zuko's side. "Zuko, get over here! I want you to dance with me!"

"What!" Ed stifled a laughed and watched as Zuko was unwillingly placed in front of a statue.

"Let's follow the steps of the statues."

"And why can't he do it?" Zuko pointed to Ed who was leaning against a wall and enjoying the show.

"Leave me out of this. I don't need to learn fancy little fire moves." Ed replied.

"Ed's right. These aren't dance moves. These statues are giving us a lesson. I think this is some kind of Sun Warrior firebending form."

"This better teach us some really good firebending." Ed almost snorted, but he stopped himself. Nothing could replace a real teacher. These guys just needed a teacher who wouldn't be afraid to ruff them up a bit. That would certainly help them fight.

Once the two finished following the statues, a large golden object rose from the ground. Curious, Ed moved toward the pedestal. Zuko reached out for the shiny object.

"Well, don't touch it!" Ed and Zuko, who both had their hands out to touch the egg shaped object, froze.

"Why not?" Zuko and Ed asked at the same time.

"Remember what happened out there with those spikes? I'm just very suspicious of giant glowing gems sitting on pedestals." Zuko and Ed ignored Aang and reached out to hold the gem. It seemed to hum with life.

"It almost feels alive."

"Yeah." Ed agreed. It felt different from a Philosopher's Stone; it reminded Ed of the time he held his hand against a pregnant woman's stomach.

Green goop shot out and sprayed everywhere. Ed and Zuko flew into the air from the force of the liquid and they stuck to a grate. Aang used his staff to push Zuko and Ed's backs against the spraying gunk. The little airbender soon joined and all three were trapped.

"Zuko! Do something!" Ed moaned at Aang's panicked voice. This was becoming a very long day.

"Me? I can't move!"

"Ed!?"

"I can't move either!" Even if his hands were free to clap, he didn't know what the stinky stuff was composed of, so he wouldn't be able to transmute it. How were they going to get out of this one?

* * *

The sky was starting to turn dark, and the stars started to appear. The past few hours had been boring; Ed reencountered with memories he didn't really care to recall. There had to be a way out of this mess. There was always a way. In the meantime, Ed decided to catch up on his sleep and quietly snored.

* * *

Something was licking him. Den? Ed opened his eyes and saw an anteater type thing was licking the goo off him. Aang and Zuko were standing up and talking to people with face paint. Since when had there been people here? Sometimes Ed hated he was a heavy sleeper, especially when he was surrounded be people he didn't know.

"If you wish to learn the ways of the Sun, you must learn them from the masters, Ran and Shaw." Ed was now fully aware of his surroundings and took everything in.

"Ran and Shaw? There are two of them?" Well no duh, Aang. Ed stood up and stood by his friends' sides.

"When you present yourselves to them, they will examine you." The man was now standing in front of the three, like he was sizing them up. "They'll read your hearts," The man was looking directly at Aang, "your souls," The gaze seemed to fall on Ed. "and your ancestry." He was now facing Zuko. "If they deem you worthy, they'll teach you. If they don't, you'll be destroyed on the spot." Ed gave a toothy grin to Zuko and Aang, who looked frightful. Destroyed on the spot? Seemed like the perfect way to teach.

They were taken to a large hearth that housed an enormous fire. The chief bent some of the fire and presented it to Zuko and Aang. "You will each take a piece of it to the masters to show your commitment to the sacred art of firebending." If only Colonel Mustang were here; he would be in paradise at the thought of people worshipping fire.

The flames were presented to Aang and Zuko, and the chief presented one more flame to Ed. Curiously, Ed stared at the fire, wondering what he was supposed to do.

"Oh. I've already got a teacher that tries to kill me. I don't need three."

"Learning from the masters is a great honor and a once in a lifetime opportunity. Here, take the fire."

"Actually, I'm not a bender." Ed looked at the flabbergasted chief, the added quickly, "Thanks for the offer." He bowed deeply and followed the large group of people to a steep and long stairway. Aang and Zuko had to walk up all of those stairs and face some powerful teachers. Ed was glad he was not in their position.

"Are you sure you're not a bender?" The chief asked Ed when his friends were halfway up the steps.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Hmm. To bad, I bet the masters would have enjoyed meeting you." Ed didn't really know how to respond to that, so he dumbly nodded. Zuko and Aang were on the top already, and a loud horn echoed across the land. The mountains seemed to tremble.

Ed jumped back when red and blue blurs came barreling out of the caves. "Holy shit!" He exclaimed and was met with disapproving looks. The enormous creatures were real live dragons! He could only imagine how his friends were feeling when they were only feet away from the circling dragons.

The dragons stopped circling and landed. Their snarls were heard even at the bottom of the valley. Ed felt fearful for his friends; facing two dragons was almost worse than facing an angry Izumi Curtis. Almost.

Fire of all different vibrant colors whirled around Zuko and Aang. Ed almost cried out and tried to dart to his friends; those scaly bastards were frying them alive! A hand was held out in front of Ed to hold him back.

"They are okay. They're being taught." Ed almost punched the chief. Yeah, his friends were being taught how to be crunchy dragon treats! Then the fire stopped and the dragons returned to their caves. Zuko and Aang were walking down the stairs, and they weren't burnt to a crisp.

"That was awesome!" Ed shouted when his friends reached solid ground. The two boys were talking to the chief about their experience and Ed was eager to get out of the place. Especially now he knew there were two very large dragons that shouldn't exist in the mountains next to them.

The three climbed on Appa and prepared for their four hour flight back to the temple ruins. Ed knew would be able to sleep the whole way there, but something was nagging in the back of his mind. The soldier.

"Hey, Zuko?"

"Hmm?"

"Well, I was wondering…" Ed paused, not quite knowing how to phrase the question.

"What?"

"Umm…you wouldn't happen to know who…" Ed gulped. There was no right way to ask the question.

"Spill it out."

"Uh…have you ever seen…records…a list of casualties?" Zuko raised his eyebrow.

"Yeah, I have. Why?"

"Well…you wouldn't happen to know the names of the people who…were killed…in the invasion. Would you?"

"None of your people were killed; they were all taken prisoner." Good, Zuko did seem to know the list of people on both sides. But his answer hadn't been the one Ed was looking for. "Why? Did someone you know go missing?" Ed shook his head. The only thing he lost during the invasion was his peace of mind.

"No. I meant on your side."

"Why would you want to know that?"

"Just tell me." Ed's voice cracked a bit, then he added, "Please."

"There were no deaths on either side." Ed's heart did a back flip. "There were some serious injuries to our men, someone almost died because of…" Zuko trailed off and he looked like he only just realized something important. "…Your hair is golden."

"You're only noticing now?" Ed's voice didn't sound annoyed like he had intended it to be; it was ecstatic. He was just given wonderful news, it was hard to feel any emotion other than happiness.

"Yeah. There were reports of the Golden Haired Spirit seriously injuring the soldiers. That was you?"

"I don't see any other blond people running around here." Ed smiled. He felt elated. He hadn't taken anyone's life. The only thing that would make him feel happier than he was now if Alphonse returned to his own body. Something in Ed's heart and mind told him that day was soon approaching.

* * *

**AkumanoshippoNiamh: Concerning your review from chapter 12.…I'm so sorry, Ed! I'm a terrible person! But you see, everything is okay. This was all part of the plan.**

**Alrighty, since I seem to update earlier than I say I do, I'll update 8/22. So, that means check back on Friday.**

**Also, check out the preview of my new fan fiction, and tell me what you think. **

**Thanks again for reading and reviewing.**

**Have a nice day…**


	15. Sacrifice

**Sorry, my update was a few days late. I felt like this chapter just kept dragging on and on (even though it's only 7000 words). I had to write it in between working, reading other fan fictions, and sleep…**

**Yeah, my first chapter of my second crossover is up if you want to see a preview of that.**

**Fangirl2013: I am glad too. I was looking forward to writing that part, knowing if it didn't happen soon, I would go mad for making Ed so miserable. Thanks for your support!**

**A Mysterious Illusion: WOOOO, indeed… Yeah, that little panic attack was fun. So are rhymes. Do you have any dimes? Anyway, thanks for reviewing!**

**KeyStar11: That was convenient. Sorry it didn't get to happen again with this chapter. :P I have a secret…I haven't seen an episode of Avatar since discovering anime back in April, so I read the transcripts to set up my chapters….shh. (Thanks for the review)**

**AkumanoshippoNiamh: Yay! Forgiveness! You can keep Envy and torture him (it?) all you want. And to answer your other review from my other crossover; Yes. I knew it was going to start off similar, but it will be drastically different. I love your reviews, as always! **

* * *

Sacrifice

"So, are you really a spirit?" Zuko asked.

"I am not a spirit!" Ed retorted with a happy voice. No matter how annoyed he felt from Zuko's stupid questions, he still could only feel happiness after the wonderful news Zuko gave him.

"Then what's wrong with your hair? Were you touched by a spirit when you were younger?"

"No!"

"So, you were born with gold hair?"

"Yes! I mean, no. It's blond!"

"Are you okay?" Zuko asked nonchalantly.

"What? Of course I am!" Ed beamed.

"You're acting…different."

"Different how?"

"Worse than him." Zuko pointed to Aang. "It's starting to freak me out." Ed smiled and enjoyed the warmth of the fire. They had returned to the temple a few hours earlier, and everyone had been excited to discover Aang could now bend fire. They didn't seem to notice the new jovial aura, or the new spark in Ed's eyes.

"It's great to be alive. Now give me my tea." Zuko frowned and gave the cup to Ed's outstretched hand. He sipped the tea and smiled approvingly. "This is pretty good."

"I've been practicing." Zuko had a slight smile on his face like he was recalling an old memory. "My uncle taught me, but no one can make tea like him. Oh, I know," Zuko announced to everyone. "Would you like to hear Uncle's favorite tea joke?"

"Sure." Katara responded, and Ed was slightly shocked. Katara definitely seemed to hate the firebender…

"I like jokes." Aang said enthusiastically.

"Bring it!" Toph said.

"Okay. Well, I can't remember how it starts," Ed had a feeling Zuko wasn't good at telling jokes. "but the punch line is 'leaf me alone, I'm bushed!'" Ed laughed like a hyena, but stopped when everyone was quiet. Someone coughed. "I guess it's better when Uncle tells it."

"Maybe that's because he remembers the whole thing." There were a few laughs from Katara's statement. Ed didn't laugh. He thought the joke was pretty good. 'Leaf me alone'? That was brilliant! He was definitely going to remember that one.

Zuko gave a cup of tea to Sokka, who stood up.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" The two walked away and Ed curiously glanced in the direction they were headed.

"I'm going to oil my automail." Ed announced, despite the fact he didn't have oil. He hadn't done maintenance on his limbs in over a month, but no one questioned him when he slunk away to Appa. Ed carefully walked in the shadows and hid behind the bison.

"Why do you want to know? What are you planning?" Zuko asked. Ed didn't know what they were talking about.

"Nothing." Sokka said quickly. "Boy, you are so paranoid."

"It's in the middle of a volcano between here and the Fire Nation. You guys actually flew right past it on your way here." What was in the middle of a volcano? Ed wished he had snuck away earlier.

"Thanks, Zuko. Just knowing makes me feel better." Sokka yawned loudly and Ed could hear his footsteps getting quieter.

"Yeah, I'm sure it does." Ed walked around Appa and stood behind Zuko.

"What's in the volcano?" Zuko zipped around and clocked Ed in the chest. "Damn it! Sokka was right, you are paranoid." Ed recovered quickly and glared at Zuko.

"Were you spying on us?"

"I would never do such a thing." Ed faked innocence. "So, what were you talking about?" Zuko didn't answer for a while, wondering if he should answer or tell him it was none of his business.

"A prison. He thinks his father was taken there after the invasion."

"Was he?"

"I don't know." Zuko shrugged his shoulders. "But I have a hunch Sokka's going to do something stupid."

"Sokka is always doing something stupid."

"Did you see him at supper? It's like your personalities switched."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. You both have been acting strange. You're a bundle of joy, and he's acting gloomy."

"I'm a happy person." Ed growled. The effect of him learning about the fate of the soldier was starting to wear off.

"Sure. Come on." Zuko grabbed Ed's hand and pulled him to Appa.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Ed shook off Zuko's grip. "I can walk by myself."

"Sokka's going to try to save his dad."

"Are you going to stop him?"

"No. I want to go with him so he doesn't do anything dumb. You with me?" Ed figured there would be no harm done with going along.

"Sure." They climbed into Appa's saddle and waited in silence. Ed yawned and knew Sokka wouldn't slip away until a few hours after everyone else was out. He grabbed a piece of paper and grabbed a nib pen to write something down. Zuko stared at Ed while he scrawled words onto the parchment with his left hand.

"What are you doing?" Ed held up the note to show Zuko. "Um…what does that say?"

"My handwriting is not that bad!" Ed snapped. "It's a letter explaining where we went."

"It looks like scribbling to me."

"Come on! It's legible!" Ed then remembered the language barrier when it came to these peoples' written words. He let his palm rest against his forehead. "Actually, you better do it." Ed gave the paper to Zuko in defeat; it irritated him he couldn't read or write in this land.

"No time. Sokka's coming." They sat in silence and waited for Sokka to climb on Appa. As soon as the boy was in view, Zuko apprehended him. "Not up to anything, huh?" Sokka fell down with a yelp, and to Ed's surprise, no one else woke up.

"Fine, you caught me. I'm gonna rescue my dad." Ed snorted. A father shouldn't have to be saved by his son. "You happy now?"

"I'm never happy." Ed rolled his eyes. Even though he liked Zuko, it was sometimes hard to get over his faults of showoff-ness and negativity.

"Look, I have to do this. The invasion plan was my idea, it was my decision to stay when things were going wrong."

"Terribly wrong." Ed decided to add.

"Not helping." Sokka hissed between his teeth. "It's my mistake, and it's my job to fix it. I have to regain my honor. You can't stop me."

"You need to regain your honor?" Ed sighed. Why was everyone here obsessed with honor and destiny? "Believe me, I get it. I'm going with you." Sokka glanced at Ed, waiting for his reasoning for going.

"You need to atone for your mistake? My life the past few years has been about regaining something I lost. So, to put it in words you understand, I know how it feels to search for lost honor. It is much better when you have someone with you, and that's why we're coming with."

"But, I have to do this alone." Ed jumped down punched Sokka in the gut.

"You stubborn bastard!" Sokka didn't listen to a damn word he said.

"How are you going to get there?" Zuko questioned. "On Appa? Last time I checked, prisons don't have bison daycares." Sokka recovered and stood up. Zuko's point was valid. "We'll take my war balloon." War what? Sokka wrote a quick message and tucked it under Momo's legs. They walked and finally ended up at Zuko's balloon.

"What is this thing?" Ed questioned.

"My war balloon." Ed scrunched his nose at Zuko's vague answer.

"Yeah, the guy that invented those submarines made them. I helped!" Sokka beamed with pride.

"But what does it do?"

"Seriously?" Zuko and Sokka asked at the same time.

"Well, I've never seen one before."

"You don't remember seeing those giant ones at the invasion?" Sokka asked, shocked. Ed shook his head.

"I was…preoccupied." Ed negligently motioned to the fading burn on his arm.

"Oh…sorry."

"Just get in and you'll see." Zuko said irritated. No doubt he wanted to stop dilly-dallying. They filed into the basket and Zuko began to send blasts of fire into a furnace. The red balloon filled with light and gradually ascended to the air. Ed was fascinated and annoyed at the same time.

"So, you guys can make crazy tanks and balloons for people to fly in, but you don't have cars? That's ridiculous!"

"Car…?" Zuko started, but Sokka cut him off.

"Don't ask. He's not from around here."

"Is that a weapon?" Ed laughed at Zuko's question. The only time it was considered a weapon was when Mustang was behind the wheel.

"No. Why do you people thing everything is war related?" The memory of Sokka thinking Ed's puke was a weapon crept into his mind.

"My dad's good at war." Zuko sent another burst of flame into the furnace.

"Yeah, it seems to run in the family." Sokka, that idiot!

"Hey, hold on!" Zuko turned defensively to Sokka. "Not everyone in my family is like that."

"I know, I know. You've changed."

"I meant my uncle." Sokka sure did know how to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. "He was more of a father to me, and I really let him down." Ed wondered what Zuko meant by that. He did run away from home, so maybe that's what Zuko was meaning by letting his uncle down.

"I think your uncle would be proud of you. Leaving your home to come help us? That's hard, right, Ed?" Sokka lightly tapped Ed's shoulder.

"Yeah." Ed looked down at his feet. Technically, he didn't leave his home to help out the group; he attacked them at first. He was sorely missing his little brother, and everyone else from home. Even Mustang.

"It wasn't that hard." Ed glared at Zuko.

"Really?" Ed was thinking the same thing as Sokka. "You didn't leave behind anyone you cared about?" Zuko shook his head. "What about you?" Sokka turned to Ed. "You never talk about your home."

"I didn't ask to come here." Ed growled and wished he could walk away to be left alone, but that was hard to do in a tiny space. "I don't have a home." He whispered.

"So you didn't care about anyone there?"

"Shut up! I have a little brother that I care about."

"You never talk about him."

"I happen to…l-love him very much." Ed faltered as that foreign word slipped off his tongue. "As soon as I get back home, I'm going to return him to normal." Something sparked in Sokka's eyes; he had just remembered Ed's campfire story.

"What?" Zuko sounded and looked very confused. Ed ignored him and continued.

"I also have a girlfr-… a childhood friend waiting for me."

"You just said you didn't have a home." Zuko was beyond confused.

"That's not what I meant. Once I get out of this land, I'll return to my own and make things right."

"So, your childhood friend…" Sokka said slyly. "…is a girl? Does little Ed have a crush?"

"No!" Ed could feel blood rush to his cheeks. "And don't call me small!"

"I had a girlfriend. Mai." Zuko said to break the tension from Ed hearing the dreaded height related word.

"That gloomy girl who smiles a lot?" Sokka asked with a smile.

"Yeah." Zuko sighed dreamily. "Everyone in the Fire Nation thinks I'm a traitor. I couldn't drag her into it." Ed nodded. He would've done the same thing if he was in Zuko's position.

"My first girlfriend turned into the moon." Sokka said it so normally that Ed thought he misheard the words. Sokka's girlfriend….turned into the moon? Ed looked into the sky and glanced at the crescent moon. In no way did those words make sense in the slightest.

"That's rough, buddy." What the hell? Even Zuko thought Sokka's statement sounded normal. Maybe it was a common occurrence for people to turn into the moon. No, that didn't make sense. His friends were simply touched in the head. Ed sat down and leaned against the basket and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

"There it is!" Zuko announced and both Sokka and Ed snapped awake. Ed looked and saw an island with steam billowing out of it. The prison wasn't in sight. Then Ed realized it was literally _in_ the volcano.

"What happens if it erupts?" Ed asked curiously.

"It's been dormant for a long time. We should be safe."

"If it's dormant, then why is there smoke coming out of it?"

" 'Cause it feels like it." Ed glared at Sokka, and his answer was never given. The balloon seemed to be gradually descending as they approached the steaming volcano.

"How exactly does this thing fly?" Ed knew it was flying from the hot air the fire caused. What would happen if the air in the balloon wasn't as warm as the air outside? "Won't this thing start to si-" Sokka nearly tackled Ed and clamped a hand over his mouth. Ed slapped the hand away. "Do that again and I'll bite you worse than the first time." Ed growled between his teeth.

"Just keep going." Sokka told Zuko. The balloon soon went out of control and headed for the water.

"We're going down! The balloon's not working anymore." In a last attempt to regain control, Zuko sent fire directly into the balloon.

"The air in here is just as warm as out there. If someone wasn't an idiot, I could have told you that earlier." Ed grumbled and watched the boiling water as it was getting closer.

"What are we supposed to do?" Zuko panicked.

"Crash landing?" Sokka said innocently. The balloon skidded across the water and eventually struck land. The crash landing had enough force behind it to throw its three passengers out onto the rocks.

"So what's your plan now?" Ed stood up and crossed his arms.

"Yeah. How are we going to get out of here if the balloon doesn't work?" Sokka was met with two unfriendly glares.

"We'll figure something out! I suspected it might be a one way ticket."

"You moron! Don't you think anything through?" Ed said with a quiet tone so he didn't alert any guards.

"You mean you expected this to happen and you still wanted to come?" Zuko's arms were now crossed as well.

"My dad might be here! I had to come and see!"

"Who cares? Your old man can take care of himself if he's a great warrior like you say." Ed tried to make his words sound nice, but they came out hostile.

"Just because you have dad issues, doesn't mean the rest of us do." They all stared at each other blankly and awkwardly.

"Um, my father is-" Zuko started.

"A huge bastard." Ed finished for him. "Now get rid of the evidence and let's go."

"What?" Zuko questioned but Sokka knew what Ed was talking about. Sokka went over to the balloon and pushed it into the bubbling water.

"Why did you do that?"

"It doesn't work." Ed stated.

"Yeah, and we don't want anyone to find it."

"I hope you both know what you're doing. There's no turning back now." Sokka and Ed nodded, then they all stood by the enormous fortress's wall. "Great. How do we get in?"

Sokka pulled out his boomerang and stuck it into the wall. "We climb." Sokka tried to prove his point and fell after pulling his boomerang out to stick it up further.

"I'll get this one." Ed quickly calculated the components making up the wall and clapped his hands. A small door was transmuted and the three shuffled inside. Ed returned the door back into the wall, and quietly snuck through the halls.

"We need to find a storeroom." Ed whispered. They walked cautiously through the basement of the prison and hid whenever a guard walked by.

"There's one." Zuko pointed to a sign on a door. The door wasn't locked so they piled in and frantically searched for uniforms in their sizes. Ed shamefully went for the smaller ones and hoped his friends wouldn't make a remark.

"Okay." Sokka clapped his hands. "We need to find my dad as soon as possible. Lay low, you too. It won't matter if anyone sees me, but you both are easy recognizable. Just stick togeth-" Sokka cut himself short when guards stormed past the hallway the three were scheming in.

"Guards!" A soldier yelled. "There's a scuffle in the yard. Come on." Hesitantly, they followed the mass of people into the prison yard. Ed suddenly felt his hair being pulled and he turned around quickly.

"Your braid was sticking out." Sokka whispered and tucked Ed's hair into his uniform.

"Okay." Ed had to extra cautious. It was easy enough to hide Zuko's scar behind the helmets, but it was much more complicated to hide flowing locks of golden hair. Prisoners and guards alike were standing in a large circle around two people.

"I didn't do anything! I'm going back to my cell." Ed could hear a gruff voice say, but he could see over anybody's heads, so he pushed and shoved through the people to see what the commotion was.

A guard was waving a fire whip and Ed hesitated slightly. He was undercover, that man wasn't going to blast him with fire.

"You didn't bow down when I walked by." Ed already loathed the arrogant bastard. He had an urge to help the prisoner and knock the guard out. Apparently, Zuko had the same idea and Sokka grabbed both their arms before they did something reckless to jeopardize the mission.

"What? That's not a prison rule."

"Do it!"

"Make me." Ed liked this prisoner, he just hoped he wasn't incarcerated for a heinous crime. The guard attacked the prisoner with fire, but it was easily deflected; yet, for some reason, the bastard looked happy.

"Firebending is prohibited. You're going in the cooler. You!" He pointed to Sokka, who looked terrified. "Help me take him in." Sokka leaned toward Ed and Zuko.

"Meet back here in an hour." He whispered. Ed and Zuko nodded, then watched Sokka walk away with the prisoner.

"You two," A commanding guard motioned to Ed and Zuko. "Disperse the prisoners and take them back to their cells." Zuko nodded and Ed raised his hand in salute.

"Yes, sir!" Zuko side glanced at Ed, but the guard seemed pleased and smiled, then walked away to control the prisoners.

"You should act respectfully, even if they don't deserve it. It's part of our cover. Don't blow it by acting like a private who never went to basic boot camp." Ed said quietly to Zuko. He nodded and they herded prisoners back into their cells like cattle.

One prisoner decided to be funny and lifted his foot slightly so Ed tripped over it. Ed fell to his hands and cursed at the prisoner, who was now looking down at him with shock. Everybody seemed to be staring at him, so he flipped his head to look at Zuko. His braid slapped his cheek from turning his head fast.

"Damn." Ed said to himself. His helmet was laying on the floor feet away from him, which revealed his blond hair. "I'm gonna run," Ed hissed through his teeth so only Zuko could hear. "You have to capture me." Zuko didn't nod, but the look in the eyes gave away the fact that he understood.

Ed stood up and brushed off his clothes and waved a hand to the guards. "Hi." Ed smiled evilly and sprinted through the unsuspecting guards.

"Wait!"

"Freeze!" Ed had no intention of surrendering and ran down the hallway, hoping Zuko would be able to keep up. The plan was definitely not going well, but they could still save Sokka's father. Zuko would gain the trust of the other guards if he were to capture Ed, then he would be given valuable information.

Zuko, as well as dozens of others, raced behind Ed and shouted feeble commands at him. A few fireballs were thrown near him, but none of them were dangerously close. Ed could see Zuko back tracking and running in a circle to cut him off. Grinning, Ed grabbed the railing and jumped off from the second floor to land on the main floor.

"Get back here!"

"Stop!"

"Come quietly!" Well, it was already too late for that. He scanned the floor above, but he was slammed into the ground by a guard that had jumped on him from above. Ed flailed his arm until it collided with the apprehender's side.

"Ow! It's me." Zuko groaned.

"Oh, in that case…" Ed punched Zuko again and tried to roll him off.

"What are you doing?"

"It's gotta look convincing." Ed managed to throw Zuko off and threw another punch. Zuko caught the offending fist and once again used his body weight to pin Ed down. Because the boy was much bigger than him, Ed couldn't throw Zuko off a second time and stopped struggling. He was going to need his energy for an escape later.

More guards rushed into the room and surrounded Ed. Slowly, Zuko stood up and pulled Ed up by his hands, which were immobilized against his back. Ed was taken to a cell, with guards on alert ready for the alchemist to snap, and was given plain prison garb clothes. He stared at them awkwardly, waiting for the guard to close the door to give him privacy.

"Close the door." Ed stated nonchalantly. The guard scoffed and eyed the new prisoner. "Close the damned door." Ed repeated, this time a little angrier.

"No. Hurry up and change." The guard spat.

"No! I don't need a pervert watching me change." Ed walked to the cell door to slam it shut, but the guard created a fire whip and swung it close to Ed. Too close.

Instinctively, Ed backed away, but continued to give the bastard the worst look possible.

"I need back up!" Ed's eye twitched.

"I didn't even do anything!" He protested as five guards swarmed the tiny cell.

"He refuses to change his clothes."

"Shut the stupid door, and I will." Ed grumbled and crossed his arms. The guards came closer and attempted to pull at the uniform.

"Get away from me, you perverts!" Ed swung his arm and leg, which was successful at keeping the guards at bay. Some of the guards summoned fire, but Ed wasn't letting any of them near him.

"Out of the way. What's the problem here?"

"He won't change his clothes."

"That's because you're all sick bastards!" Ed interjected.

"Everyone out. I'll take care of him." Oh, Gate. What was this guard planning on doing to him?

"Ed, what are you doing?" The guard asked when the door closed and they were alone.

"Huh? Zuko?" The teenager nodded his head.

"You're causing a ruckus."

"Well, sorry for not wanting to be stared at while stripping down."

"…It's their job. They were making sure you weren't concealing any weapons."

"They could've done that without _fondling_ me."

"Stop being so stubborn. Don't give them a reason to kill you. Remember; they don't think you're exactly human."

"Stupid bastards."

"We'll come by tonight to let you out. Just stay here and try to behave."

"I can get out myself…"

"Behave." Zuko hissed. "We can't ruin the plan, so relax here for now."

"You better not forget me."

"I won't. Now hurry and change your clothes." Zuko tossed Ed the heavy garbs and waited.

"Turn around."

"Ugh!" Zuko turned around and angrily folded his arms. "You done yet?" Ed threw his guard clothes at Zuko to let him know he finished changing.

"If you forget me, I'll break myself out and kick your ass."

"Don't worry about it. See you later." Zuko slammed the door shut and Ed was left in the darkness by himself.

* * *

A few hours had passed gruelingly. There was nothing to do in the dark cell but think, which Ed didn't feel like doing since it only made him think of home. And Alphonse.

He tried to eavesdrop on the people guarding his cell, but they weren't talking at a loud volume, so Ed couldn't make out what they were saying through the thick iron door. All he knew was he wasn't allowed out of his cell under any circumstance. He was simply too dangerous. Good thing they didn't know he could easily escape with a clap of his hands.

"I'll take over from here." Ed could hear a loud voice that sounded like Sokka. A crack of light blinded Ed momentarily until his eyes adjusted to the light flowing into the cell. Sokka's smile greeted him and he motioned Ed to follow him.

"Where's Zuko?"

"Change of plans. No time to explain, let's go!" Ed and Sokka rushed outside and went to the waterside. There were a bunch of people he did not recognize standing next to a large tub looking thing.

"Who are they?" Ed motioned to the four newcomers.

"That's Suki." Sokka pointed dreamily to a girl with ear length hair. "Those are some prisoners who…got involved."

"Oh. So, are we ready to go?"

"You go ahead. I'm not going." Ed raised his eyebrows.

"Sokka?" Ed asked while he held the bridge of his nose.

"Hm?"

"You're an idiot."

"Thanks?"

"We're not about to leave you here by yourself, dummy." Zuko and the girl, Suki, walked over to them.

"I'm not leaving you, Sokka." Suki said and Ed could've sworn he saw both her and Sokka blush a little bit.

"I'm staying, too." Zuko said, and Ed realized he was wearing a prison garb uniform.

"Zuko, what happened to your clothes?"

"Uh…I sort of got caught."

"So I sacrificed myself for nothing?"

"Yeah…sorry about that."

"Whatever. What's done is done. So now what do we do?" The three strangers were in the tub floating across the boiling lake.

"We gave up our only chance of escaping. I hope we haven't just made a huge mistake." Sokka gulped and looked up at the gondola.

"Probably…" Ed grumbled. He was getting tired and antsy. A blood curling scream echoed off of the rocks.

"The plan failed! They're caught." Ed glanced at the tub and saw a claw reeling it in. Alarms blared and guards were yelling. A metallic screech indicated the gondola was starting to move.

"If my dad's not there, we've risked everything for nothing."

"…I know how that feels…" Ed said quietly to himself. The gondola stopped moving and several prisoners filed out of the doors. Once it was emptied, Ed and Sokka's heads dropped. Sokka's dad wasn't in there.

"Hey, you!" A guard yelled. "Get off the gondola!" Ed smiled when Hakoda stepped out, and he turned his head to look at Sokka.

"Dad…" Sokka said with relief. This hadn't been for nothing, after all. Lantern lights became visible from the side of the prison as the sirens continued to shrill.

"Sorry to interrupt on your parade, but we have company." Ed motioned to the lights. Ed clapped his hands and created a door in the side of the wall. "Get in." Ed stood and let his friends in, then started to shut the door without following them.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Sokka asked, startled.

"I'll distract them. Hurry up before they realize you're gone."

"But, they'll hurt-" Zuko started.

"No buts. Leave." Ed slammed the door shut and destroyed it. There was no turning back now. He ran ahead several feet until he looked up and saw a watch tower. There should be no cells under them, so he clapped and touched the wall. The wall exploded and Ed could hear the panicked yells from the nearby guards. Surely the explosion would be a big enough distraction to help his friends avoid suspicion, because if Sokka, the last undercover person, was caught, the mission was doomed.

"Hey, you! Stop!" The guards were already closing in, and Ed froze. He knew he was going to get caught sooner or later, so he decided he would avoid punishment later and give in now. His friends should be safe by now anyway. Ed slowly raised his hands, knowing better than to make the fire people angry.

"Stay where you are!" Ed rolled his eyes; he hadn't even moved an inch. A fireball came bursting out of one of the guard's fists, which Ed easily dodged,

"What the hell! You almost hit me!" Ed yelled.

"We said stay still!"

"I am, you bastard!" Another fireball came hurtling towards him. "Watch what you're doing!"

"Surrender peacefully."

"I am!" Ed yelled and held back the urge to beat sense into the fire freaks. "See? My hands are up, I'm not going to hurt-" The guards were approaching and one yanked on Ed's braid, then kneed him in the gut. "-you…" Ed wheezed out while trying to regain his breath. "What's…your…problem?" Ed said between heavy breathing. Were they trying to provoke him? It sure seemed like it.

"Stop resisting." One of them demanded.

"I'm not doing anything." Ed snarled.

"We'll use force if you don't come quietly." Ed recognized this voice. It was the same guard that demanded a prisoner to bow before him.

"I give up. Just take me back to my-" Ed was cut off when he was smacked across the face. It was definitely more painful than the time Ross had slapped him.

"I said give up."

"I am, damn it!" Ed roared and attacked the stupid guards and punched as many of them as he could. It didn't take them long to overpower him and use Ed as their own personal punching bag. Ed took the blows, and even though it hurt, he had been in worse pain before.

"This is for Xu!" The bastard guard shouted amongst the others' yelling.

"…Shoe…?" Ed managed to ask between blows.

"You almost killed my brother!" The guard then punched Ed in the face. The bastard had a brother? And he cared about him? Ed hadn't almost killed any-…oh. The soldier. His luck had to have been the worst luck in the world. His guard was the soldier's brother, and he wanted revenge. If anyone dared touch Al, Ed would freak out, but he wouldn't try to kill the one responsible. Well, maybe he would, but he would do it alone, without the help of a dozen cronies.

"Hey! What's going here?" A new voice said, and the kicking and hitting ceased.

"We found the escapee. He was resisting." Several of the guards showed the newcomer their bruises that Ed gave them before they gained up on him.

"…Lies." Ed managed to muster.

"Shut up." A guard used his heel to jab Ed in the ribs.

"That's enough. All of you are in serious trouble. Let's go." The new guard motioned the others to leave, and he leaned over the downed boy.

"Get up." Ed had been hoping it was Sokka, but it wasn't. It was just a guard who had morals, but still had to treat Ed like a prisoner. A runaway prisoner. Ed trembled and stood on his feet while wavering dangerously from side to side. The guard placed his hand on Ed's shoulder to keep him balanced and led him to a large white room packed with unoccupied beds.

Immediately, Ed knew what this place was. It was a prison hospital. Ed was told to lay down, which he obeyed, even though he did not want to be here. Three guards were stationed at his bed while a nurse tended to his wounds. For once, it felt weird not being healed by Katara via water bending. The guards stared him down, like they were expecting Ed to do spontaneous back flips while juggling.

Ed didn't want to close his eyes when enemies were only inches away, but a combination of sedatives and sleepiness forced him to fall asleep.

* * *

"Why did you help him? He's a demon." Ed was starting to regain consciousness, but decided to keep his eyes closed.

"Don't believe everything you hear. He's only a child."

"He tried to escape! I don't care if he's a spirit or a child, he's still a convict."

"Then don't worry. The warden will begin his punishment once he heals." Ed opened his eyes and panicked when everything was dark. He tried to touch his eyes, but his hands were cuffed to the sides of the bed. "I think he's waking up." No, if he was awake, he would be able to see. He struggled against the bindings and shook his head back and forth.

Amazingly, he could see again. A damp cloth fell from his eyes and slumped to the floor. Ed immediately felt stupid for freaking out about a stupid rag covering his forehead and eyes.

"Hey, kid. You okay?" The guard seemed mildly concerned.

"I'm fine." Ed muttered.

"That's good to hear." A new voice spoke. The guards stood up and bowed to the person who entered the room and strode next to Ed.

"Uh, Sir? He's not ready to leave the infirmary yet."

"Nonsense. If he says he's fine, then he's fine." The man turned and gave Ed a grim smile. "Right?" Ed turned his head to look away. "Look at me when I am talking!" The man demanded, and Ed was afraid he was going to get beaten again. He turned his head slightly and stared at the man with malice.

"Good. See how easy that was?" He turned to the guards. "Take him to the interrogation room. We're going to have a nice, long chat." The man exited the room with his arms crossed behind his back.

The guards lifted Ed off the firm mattress and assisted him to a room with only a simple chair. He was seated and fitted with shackles around his arms and legs. The bindings were loose enough so Ed could clap if something went wrong.

The man, who Ed figured was the warden of the stupid jail, walked into the room with deliberation.

"Is this how you normally treat guests?" Ed asked bitterly when the warden appeared to be observing him.

"Don't worry, those guards have been properly punished. No baked goods for a week." Was he actually serious? Ed wanted to slug the warden in the face. "Now, I think we should be friends." The warden said coldly with an unfriendly smile on his face.

"No thanks."

"Let me rephrase that. You will obey us, and your past will be forgiven." Yeah, right. Wait, who is 'us'? There was only one person in the room.

"Nah. I don't befriend bastards." The warden scrunched his face in anger and made a motion to hit Ed, but stopped when the door opened.

"…Princess Azula!" It was Zuko's sister! What was she doing here? "I'm sorry, I can't get him to break." Oh, joy, they were talking about him.

"That's a shame, he could've been useful to us." Her voice sounded sharp and cold.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here." Ed said monotonously, trying to conceal his anger.

"You're just a liability to the Fire Nation. Good bye." The crazy girl moved her hand in a circle motion, and lightning seemed to cackle off her fingertips. She aimed it straight at Ed's heart.

* * *

Ed knew better than to be unprepared when scary looking ladies entered a room. He had clapped his hands, which went unnoticed, as soon as Azula came into the room. When she started to do the freaky lightning thing, Ed touched his chains and destroyed them before he was zapped. Even the amazing Fullmetal Alchemist couldn't fight against the speed of lightning, so he did the only thing that made sense to get out of the situation.

He punched the psychopath girl in the stomach with his right hand and dashed to the courtyard. He pushed past prisoners and guards alike in a desperate search for his friends. He might have to leave without them if he couldn't find them fast enough.

"Ed? We've been looking everywhere for you!" It was Sokka, and Ed's fast beating heart started to calm down. "Oh my gosh! What happened to you?!" Ed realized he must look pretty banged up, but now wasn't the time to ask petty questions.

Suki came storming through the yard with a bound figure on her shoulders. Ed almost laughed victoriously when he saw the man was the warden. They rushed to the gondola and headed for the other side. Halfway across, both Ed and Zuko were panic stricken. Azula was coming toward them by using freaky blue fire.

"She's going to kill me." Ed and Zuko said quietly at nearly the same time. Azula apprehended Zuko and Ed while Suki was distracting the girl in pink. The blue fire was deflected by Zuko, and Sokka made a move with his sword to swipe at Azula. Ed clapped and made the metal under the girl's feet unstable, which made her fall, but she grabbed a side railing and pulled herself back in.

"Is she a homunculus?" Ed joked to himself; it seemed impossible to even leave a scratch on the girl. No one paid any attention to his strange question and continued to fight.

"They're going to cut the line!" The girl in pink hollered and jumped to the other line. Azula followed her friend and smiled.

"Goodbye, Zuko. Peasant." Ed snorted. It must've been a family trait to call people they didn't like 'peasants'.

"Mai?" Zuko said and looked down.

"Who?" Ed questioned.

"My girlfriend. She saved us." Zuko was right. His girlfriend had stopped the guards from sawing the cord, and she was now facing Azula.

They stepped off the gondola and looked around. How where they supposed to get out of here?

"My sister was on the island." Zuko announced, which Ed didn't think was necessary. "She must've come here somehow." They walked around and found a giant war balloon. "That's our way out."

* * *

After a short few hours, they finally made it back to the temple. Katara and Sokka were hugging their father while Ed watched from the inside of the balloon.

"Did yours ever do that?" Zuko asked quietly to Ed.

"What?"

"Hug you?" Ed was shocked, but still tried to recall those very old memories.

"I don't know." He answered truthfully. "I can't remember. What about you?" Zuko shrugged his shoulders, then extended his arm.

"Come on. You should get those injuries checked out."

"They're not even noticeable."

"Your eye is the size of a melon and it's _black_. You've got bruises everywhere."

"Fine." Ed leaned against Zuko awkwardly as he limped toward Katara.

"Ed! What happened?" Katara rushed over with her water pouch.

"Uh, misunderstanding." Ed smiled weakly, and Katara rolled here eyes.

"Can't you go anywhere without getting hurt?" She inquired as she began to heal Ed's minor injuries.

"Not really." Everyone stared at Ed as soon as they all found out what happened on their little fishing expedition.

"You punched Azula," Aang was looking at Ed with wide eyes and a wide mouth, "and lived?" Ed nodded and smiled. He could easily take that fire sociopath down.

* * *

**Outtakes**

"Sokka! Just hit her with your sword already!" Ed yelled to the water tribe boy who had just missed a chance to hit Azula.

"I can't!"

"Why the hell not!?"

"My show is rated TV-7!" Ed clapped his hands and created several large metal spikes, which were successful at hitting Azula.

"Mine is TV-14! Ha!" Ed shouted in triumph.

**Now for something completely different…**

**Updates will no longer be every other day, as you can see. I will update on Fridays now, since I don't have class on Fridays. I can't guarantee how often I will update with school starting. I'll go with every two week updates…that sounds good. **

**Sorry. Don't hate me.**

**Thanks for reading and for your lovely reviews. **


	16. Full Circle

**With this newly acquired dime, I shall rule the world! Ha! **

**A lot of you really liked my little outtake. I actually had that written down on paper when I was still back writing in chapter three. That's actually something that bothers me now about ATLA; the lack of violence. It's only ever implied violence and death. Psh! I'm glad I've achieved a good combination of sad and happy moments in my chapters; it actually means a lot to me. **

***pats computer and notebook gently* Oh, my story, you've grown so much. It's going to be sad to let you go, but this must be done. You are strong and independent. AkumanoshippoNiamh, I give you permission to marry my fan fiction! You may kiss the (bride?) **

**College isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be; after all, it is rated top ten for community colleges in the country, as my colorful sociology instructor says. **

* * *

Full Circle

All of Ed's injuries, minor and major, had finally healed completely. The only things that remained were faint burn marks and the traces of a black eye. He wished the doctors back home could use treatment like Katara did, then he would never have to be stuck in a disinfectant smelling hospital again.

He would be willing to go in a hospital if that meant seeing Al, however. He'd even drink a glass of cow secretion to see his little brother. He would do anything to return home and see Al, even if he had to admit he was short.

"Not short." Ed said reassuringly to himself. Quickly, Ed stood up and stretched. In the mornings, he usually sparred with Sokka and Zuko. It wasn't even close in comparison how Al fought, but it was better than nothing. Strangely, Ed was the first one awake. He usually slept in until someone woke him up.

The air was crisp and refreshing, but something felt off. Ed couldn't shrug off the feeling that something bad was going to happen today. There was a faint hum in the air, like a large engine was roaring in the distance. The whirring grew louder, but there wasn't anything in sight.

Ed shrugged his shoulders and went through Sokka's bag to grab some food. He ate several pieces of jerky, wishing for once they could eat at a fancy restaurant. Unfortunately, everyone here was wanted, so eating great food anytime soon was unlikely.

The noise was growing louder, and Ed could see a large red zeppelin coming toward the ruins. Maybe they were just sight seeing. Even in his head, that seemed ridiculous. The ominous flying object came closer, and the Fire Nation insignia on the sign screamed 'danger!'

Any minute, the threat would soon be upon them, so Ed clapped and transmuted a large wall to put a shield between his friends and the enemy. The cliffside groaned, and Ed knew the wall was going to collapse under its own weight. To confirm the instability of the wall, the ground started to crack.

Machines roared on the other side of the barrier, and chunks of rock fluttered down from the ceiling. The temple trembled, and the floor shook, which caused even more severe cracks.

"We're under attack!" Ed shouted and looked over in horror to his friends. They were still fast asleep, the only person who moved slightly was Aang. "Hey! Wake up!" Ed ran to Aang and shook him repeatedly like a rag doll. Something hit the wall and exploded, leaving a large hole in the rock. There was a loud crack, and the wall buckled over, along with half of the cliff, and fell into the gorge below.

Aang was suddenly alert and deflected an incoming bomb with an air stream. Everyone else looked around with sleepy eyes, unaware of the danger they were in. Ed couldn't believe these people stayed alive this long when they were so un-alert.

After a few more bombs struck the temple, the ceiling started to cave in. Thankfully, everyone was awake and prepared to flee. A large piece of debris fell and threatened to crush Katara, but Zuko rushed and pushed her out of the way.

"Stop making out and let's go!" Ed hollered. They needed to be swift and get out here before the whole place was destroyed. If Katara's looks could kill, Ed would've been dead on the spot. Katara pushed Zuko away and stormed off.

"Come on! We can get out through here!" Toph shouted and Ed turned around to see she had created a large tunnel to escape through. Everyone dashed to the exit, except for Zuko, who seemed to frozen on the spot looking at the airship.

"I don't know if you noticed, but they're trying to kill us. Let's go!" Ed went next to Zuko and tried to pull him out of danger. Zuko stayed in place and shook his head.

"I'll hold them off. I think this is a family visit." Ed understood, but he still thought whatever Zuko was planning was a terrible idea.

"Don't die." Ed turned away and ran to the escape tunnel, only to be stopped when Appa refused to go in. "I think the universe hates us all." He grumbled to himself.

"We need to split up." Sokka said when Appa struggled violently. "Take the tunnel and get to the stolen airship."

"No!" Katara was seething with anger. "The Fire Nation can't separate our family again!"

"It'll be okay. It's not forever." Ed's eyes widened when he heard Katara's dad say those words, and they sounded sincere. Katara and Sokka hugged Hakoda and climbed on Appa. Just as Hakoda was leading the others to the tunnel, Ed walked over to him and blocked the way.

"Ed, you should go with the others." Ed looked at the man before him and raised his arm like he was about to give a handshake.

"You're a good father. Make sure you keep your promise." Hakoda accepted Ed's arm and smiled.

"I will." They parted ways and Ed quickly joined up with the others. They maneuvered in the air around fireballs, which made Ed's stomach feel queasy. He was never going to get used to a large animal flying, and the jerking evasive maneuvers weren't helping.

"Hey," Ed realized something looked wrong. "Where's Zuko?" Everyone looked up and they saw a dark figure falling down. "Do you people have death wishes?" Katara grabbed Zuko from his plummet and pulled him into the safety of the saddle. "Because I think you do." Zuko looked at Ed like he was crazy.

They flew far away from the decimated ruins of the temple and landed in a clearing. A small fire was crackling and was successful at keeping everyone warm.

"Wow, camping." Aang said lazily. Ed forgot these kids traveled around the world and had to sleep in tents. Ed didn't say in one spot too long, either, but he usually stayed in a room. Now that he thought of it, he had never really gone camping, unless the month on the island counted as 'camping'. "It really seems like old times again, doesn't it?"

"If you really want it to feel like old times, I could, uh…chase you around a while and try to capture you." Ed wondered exactly what Zuko and the others were doing before he had shown up. Something about stalking and catching…

Zuko didn't seem like the type of guy who was easy to make friends with, but it was obvious he was trying his best to be friendly with everyone in the group. The reason Ed and Zuko had gotten along right away after their fight was they didn't really know how else to act towards each other. They both traveled around the world, not having time to make friends with people their own age.

The group cheered and Ed snapped back into attention. He had been spacing out frequently lately, indulged in his thoughts of home.

"I'm touched, I don't deserve this." Zuko said after his friends cheered for him.

"Yeah, no kidding." Katara walked away, taking heavier then necessary steps.

"What's with her?" Sokka asked like a good concerned brother.

"I wish I knew." Zuko stood up and followed Katara.

"What's with him?" There was no answer, and they decided to sit in silence as the fire lit the area up. After an hour, the group decided to go to bed, except for Ed, who went over to Sokka's tent. He barged in without knocking, and immediately regretted doing so.

Sokka's hair was down, and he was in the process of lighting candles with a flint. Ed tried to back out of the tent, but Sokka saw him out of the corner of his eye.

"Suki, you're a little ear- oh! Ed!" Sokka sounded defensive and bashful. "What are you doing here? I thought everyone went to bed." The scene reminded Ed of what he imagined Mustang would look like while preparing for a date.

"Um, do you want me to come back later? Like tomorrow?" Ed didn't want to intrude on whatever Sokka and Suki were doing.

"No! Have a seat." Ed sat down on a pillow and brushed the rose petals aside. "What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering why Katara resents Zuko so much. It's not healthy. What did he do to her?"

"He used to track and capture us to get to Aang. Honestly, I don't know why she hates him more than we did."

"Zuko said he betrayed you. Something about nasing se?"

"What?" Sokka was confused.

"I don't know. A city? You mentioned honey…"

"Oh! Ba Sing Se! All I know is Katara and Zuko were trapped in prison together, and by the end of the day, Aang was dead. She didn't really talk about it much."

"Okay. I'll get going then." Ed stood up and walked towards his tent and he could see both Zuko and Suki heading in the direction of Sokka's tent. It didn't take him too long to fall asleep.

* * *

Ed woke up because his joints were starting to ache; rain must've been coming. He poked his head out of the tent and saw everyone else was up and talking in a circle, so, he decided to see what was up.

"She needs this, Aang. This is about getting closure and justice." Ed always seemed to walk into the wrong part of the conversation. Zuko's words reminded him of something Scar would say.

"I don't think so." Aang said calmly. "I think this is about getting revenge." Yes, Ed knew revenge was one of the most deadly poisons out there.

"Fine, maybe it is!" The burning anger in Katara's eyes shocked Ed; usually she was a kind and compassionate girl. Now she looked like she could tear a person's limbs off. "Maybe that's what I need! Maybe that's what he deserves!" Ed went rigid.

"_This is the man…who killed…my mom and dad? It can't be…they were killed by a person they helped save?" Winry looked at Scar with wide eyes. "You killed…my mom and dad? Why?" She slowly went to her knees. "Give them back! Give me back my mom and dad." Winry was starting to cry, but then she reached over to an object. It was a gun!_

"_Wait, Winry…stop." Ed said calmly. "Don't. Don't do it, Winry!" She picked up the weapon and aimed it at the Ishbalan who was responsible for taking her parent's lives. "Don't shoot! Put down the gun!" Ed was starting to panic._

"_So you're the daughter of those doctors." Scar spoke. "You have every right to shoot me."…_

"Ed." _… "But the moment you squeeze that trigger, I will consider you my enemy."_

"_Lay one finger on Winry and I swear I'll-" Ed yelled._

"_You'll kill me!? Go ahead!"…_

"Ed!" _… "This cycle of hatred will not end until one of us is dead!"_

"ED! Snap out of it!" Sokka was violently shaking Ed

"Huh…?"

"You've been standing there forever, staring at nothing. You weren't saying anything when we talked to you."

"Oh…Where's Katara?" Ed hoped she hadn't left.

"She going with Zuko. They're leaving any minute." It was too late. Appa had already taken off, and the vengeful Katara was already gone.

"Damn!" Ed looked over and saw Sokka slumping his head. He didn't look happy and carefree like he usually did. "Hey. Is something wrong?"

"My sister…she hates me!"

"What? No she doesn't, she's just-"

"She doesn't think I loved Mom." Ed frowned. He and Al had fought over many stupid things in the past, but never anything about who loved their mother more.

"She's irrational now. The only thing that matters is that _you_ know you love your mom. Okay?" Sokka nodded his head unenthusiastically.

"I tried to stop her, but she didn't listen to me."

"There's nothing you can do about it now. Regardless of what happens, make sure you're there for her when she returns." Sokka nodded his head again. "You know, you're a great older brother."

"Thanks." Sokka smiled weakly, but still looked downcast.

"So," Ed spoke cunningly, "how was your date last night?" Sokka's whole face turned a dark shade of pink, then he smiled dreamily.

* * *

Katara and Zuko returned several hours later, and everyone else was informed on what had happened; Katara found her mother's killer, but didn't attack. Katara apologized to her brother and he brought her into a wide embrace.

Sokka returned to the tents, and Zuko was talking to Aang. Ed walked over to Katara cautiously.

"I couldn't do it. He was right there, and I couldn't do it. I don't know why…" _"It was him, but…" Winry was shaking as tears fell down her cheeks. "He killed my mom and dad…why? He almost killed you and Al…why…why couldn't I…?"_

"_Winry, let me tell you something." Ed gently loosened Winry's grip on the gun. "When you helped deliver that baby in Rush Valley, you saved the mother and child. You also gave me an arm and a leg so that I could get back on my feet. Your hands weren't meant to take people's lives. They were meant to __**save**__ them…"_

"Katara, I want to tell you something. When I was on the verge of insanity, _you_ brought me back. Whenever I came back injured, _you_ healed me. You guys could have left me for dead on that island when I attacked you guys, but _you_ opposed. You _saved_ me. You aren't meant to take life; you _save_ life." Katara looked at Ed, and then wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you." She whispered. Ed hesitated at first, not really being a physical contact sort of person, but he accepted the hug and did the same.

"You're welcome."

* * *

Ed was frantically drawing circles on a piece of parchment, ecstatic with the familiar sight of an array. The vacation house they were hiding in was a mess, but that mess contained a vast amount of parchment and writing brushes with ink. It was a little strange that they were hiding in the Fire Lord's summer palace, but Zuko had assured them it hadn't been used in years.

"Ed." Sokka called. "We're going to a play about us!"

"Do I have to go?" He mumbled and continued to draw.

"Yep! It'll be fun." Ed sighed and grabbed a stack of papers and a fresh canister of ink. They walked to the theater, and Sokka gave Ed a quick horrified glance.

"Hey," He hissed between his teeth. "I think you forgot something." Sokka pointed to his hair.

"Oh." Ed pulled his hood up, and Zuko decided to follow the example. They sat down, and Ed continued to draw arrays and runes. He had a sense he was almost right with his calculations, and he already knew he wasn't going to pay attention to the dumb play.

"GGAAAAAHHHHHH!" Ed nearly flung himself out of his seat and several of his papers scattered across the floor.

"What the hell was that?!" Ed inquired while his heart still thumped loudly. He looked at the stage and saw it was only Toph's Armstrong looking actor on the stage. He retrieved his papers and kept on calculating.

"Ed!" Sokka whispered and nudged Ed's shoulder. "You're on!" Ed looked down to see what Sokka was talking about. On stage, there was a very small actor, probably no older than seven, wearing a red coat and a bright yellow wig.

"Hi!" The actor's voice was very high and annoying, but not quite as bad as Aang's. "Feed me and I won't kill you!" The voice sounded innocent, so the statement made was bizarre. Ed's eye twitched.

"I don't threaten to kill people!" Ed said astoundingly, then added quietly, "…Usually…"

"Awww." Actor Katara crooned. "Look how cute and little he is. He just fills me with so much hope!" The actress spilled tears onto the stage. "Can we keep the little adorable spirit?"

"Why are they making me sound like a stray animal? And I'm not short!"

"Ed, keep your voice down." Sokka said quietly.

"Fine. I'm going to finish this outside." Ed compiled his papers and left the auditorium to draw in peace. Out of habit, Ed took his coat off and used it to sit on, forgetting he was supposed to hide his hair.

A small child gawked with awe at Ed.

"Hey, mister! That's a nice Golden Haired Spirit costume, but you're too tall."

Ed stood up delightfully.

"I'm tall?" The kid nodded his head. "I'm tall! I'M TALL!" Ed ran up and down the hallway, yelling about his height. Ed burst through the doors and got into his friends' faces, and shouted gleefully, "I'm tall!"

"What?" They all asked and looked at Ed like he was insane.

"That kid said I'm tall! Ha!"

"…Your actor is like, three feet tall…I don't think that was a compliment…" Sokka stated.

"You're just jealous 'cause I'm tall!"

"We are never taking you to a play again." Katara muttered.

"Sorry, I can't hear you over my tallness…"

* * *

**Outtakes**

(Not as good as the last one, but who cares?!)

Ed watched as Zuko plummeted from the airship and vanished into the low clouds.

"Did Zuko…just…die?" His voice wavered, and Sokka chuckled.

"He's a main character. They can't kill him off."

"But, plenty of anime main characters die. Like the guy in Co-" Sokka yelped and slapped his hand across Ed's face.

"No spoilers!"

"That's not the point! In my first series, I-" Ed was interrupted again by Sokka.

"We're in America! Cartoon characters don't die." Ed mumbled something incoherently about TV age ratings and something about Japan.

* * *

"I'm touched. I don't deserve this." Zuko said after being praised for being a hero.

"Yeah, no kidding." Katara retorted angrily, then stomped away.

"What's with her?"

"PMS?" Ed suggested. o.o

* * *

**College isn't as grueling as I expected….yet. So that's good news for my updates. To be honest, I had a ton of writer's block for this chapter. I actually wrote the outtakes and the author's notes in the middle of typing. I even made a one shot! Speaking of one shot, It's published now. If you read it, you'll see what I'm capable of…so make sure you don't make me angry…you wouldn't like me when I'm angry… **

**I combined the two episodes so I would have one longer chapter rather than two measly ones. I know this one is shorter, but I'm combing the last four episodes into one chapter. Honestly, it might be my longest chapter yet, so I have no clue when I'll update.**

**This has been a fun adventure, and I'll see you for the last chapter. Thanks for sticking with me and giving me support!**


	17. Cursed Alchemist

Sokkasm was sitting peacefully in the basement, writing the last chapter of Cursed Alchemist, when there was a heavy set of footsteps coming down the stairs. The author was quite shocked to see Edward Elric.

"You bastard!" Ed exclaimed with his fist raised.

"What?" Sokkasm asked innocently and shocked.

"You! I'm getting real tired of your shit!"

"Nani?" Sokkasm immediately responded; speaking Japanese was usually a good way to get out of trouble.

"You've ripped me from my home, made me go crazy, burned me, made me vomit, you made me think I was a murderer, and your stupid one shot…you killed me in it!"

"You forgot about the part where the guards beat you senseless…" Ed's eyes twitched, and he made a mad dash to attack the stupid writer. "Hey! I still need to finish this chapter. It's the last one! Don't you want to find out what happens to you?" Ed let go of Sokkasm's shirt collar and stood back.

"Fine." He grumbled.

"Remember, I can make anything happen. I could make you taller…" Ed had a mischievous smile on his face.

"…Or I could kill you…" And for the remainder of the finale writing, Ed hunched over the couch and cautiously watched as Sokkasm finished the story.

* * *

**It's finally here! This is the end (sniffs). See what I did there with the last chapter? I thought it was pretty clever; Full Circle. Ed was able to help others instead of being the one who needed help; it's coming full circle. **

**Thank you everybody! Even if you didn't review or favorite, I can still see how many views I get, so I thank you for reading thus far. This has been a fantastic adventure!**

**To those who did review and follow/favorite, you get extra points! You went the extra mile and voiced your input, which helped inspired me write. So you, faithful reviewers, in a way, helped make this story possible. I'll see you soon for the next adventure!**

* * *

Cursed Alchemist

Ed could feel his blood pumping with adrenaline. The comet was coming very soon, and he finally drew an array that might be able to return him home. The plan, however, was flawed; he still didn't have an energy source to sacrifice to the gate. There was nothing like a Philosopher's Stone here; he asked around to see if there was something similar by a different name, but there wasn't. That news made Ed feel happy and depressed at the same time.

People weren't being turned into the stones, but that also meant Ed wouldn't be able to give anything to the gate. He thought about transmuting himself, but he had a feeling it would only backfire again, and he would be killed from the rebound.

He became close with the people he called his friends. It was strange, admitting they were friends, since he didn't really have many friends back home. He didn't have time for that. Since he was forced to be here, he had really no choice but to become attached to these people. He was determined to fight and help win this dark war. The people of this land had been suffering for too long now. In a few days, the people would either be free, or reduced to ash.

Aang and Zuko were practicing in the courtyard, while everyone else sat lazily on the steps. Ed didn't want to sit around and do nothing, but no one wanted to spar with him. He didn't understand how everyone could be sitting so calmly when the fate of the world was to be determined in the matter of days.

Katara went around offering watermelon juice, and Aang came racing up, completely ignoring Zuko's protests.

"Your lesson's not over! Get back here!" Zuko picked Aang up in the of the shirt so he couldn't get away. If Ed ever tried walking out on a lesson from Teacher, he would've been severely punished; Zuko just needed to take the Izumi approach with Aang. Everyone besides Ed and Zuko were calm and relaxed, generally acting content despite the end of the world approaching.

"Come on, Zuko." Sokka spoke hazily, and yawned. "Just take a break. What's the big deal?" Ed exhaled deeply, wanting to tell these idiots to get off their asses and do something.

"Fine!" Zuko snapped. "If you want to lounge around like a bunch of snail sloths all day, then go ahead!" Zuko stormed off as sand flew feet into the air from his hasty and heavy footsteps.

"He's right. You're going to get flabby just sitting there." Ed spoke up, hoping they would heed his advice.

"Yeah, laying around the house has made us lazy, but I know just the thing to change all that." Ed frowned while Sokka stripped down to his swimwear. "Beach party!" Everyone, except Ed, went inside to put on their beachwear, and ran to the ocean.

"Ed! Aren't you coming?" Sokka hollered while dodging the crashing waves. Ed stood up and headed for the direction Zuko went, completely ignoring his moronic friends.

Zuko was pacing back and forth between large palm trees. He sent angry bursts of fire into the sky in a feeble attempt to calm himself down. When Ed came into peripheral vision, Zuko stopped and menacingly looked at the alchemist.

"What are you doing here?" He spoke bitterly. "Shouldn't you be enjoying the ocean with everyone else?"

"No. I can't swim." Ed clapped his hands and transmuted a sword out of the iron rich ground. "Want to spar?" Zuko shook his head.

"I know you're ready for the comet." Zuko's tone was calm now. "I don't understand how they can sit there when it's three days away. They act like it's not a big deal!"

"Of course it is. I don't know what their problems are. I say we teach the brats a lesson; especially Aang." Zuko scratched his head and contemplated Ed's advice.

"What if I accidentally hurt him? He can't afford to-"

"There's no such thing as a painless lesson." Ed had a small, sly smile. Zuko nodded and ran to the beach. Several minutes later, fireballs appeared over the rooftop, followed by a yell from Aang.

"What are you doing?!" Ed could hear the muffled yell from on top of the rooftop. Ed decided to help with the training and dashed into the house, quickly finding a support beam. With a careful transmutation, Ed toppled the house so the roof caved in. The cloud of debris and smoke cleared, and a very angry looking Aang confronted the one responsible for the demolition.

"What did you do that for?!" Ed wasn't able to answer, since Zuko barged through an intact window and continued to attack the foolish boy. With a combination of sword fighting and firebending, Zuko and Ed continuously attacked Aang. His defensive air bending wasn't doing the trick, and Ed was finally able to aim the sword at Aang's vulnerable neck. Zuko was on the opposite side, aiming a fist at the back of Aang's head.

"Dead." Both teachers said monotonously.

"What is going on in here?" The rest of the group crawled through the demolished ruins of the house. "You could've hurt Aang." Katara scolded.

"He'll be more than hurt if he's not ready; he'll be dead." Ed put simply.

"What's wrong with both of you?"

"What's wrong with us?" Zuko spat and Ed folded his arms. "What's wrong with all of you? How can you sit around and have beach parties when Sozin's Comet is only days away?"

"We're never going to win if you aren't in shape." Ed added. Everyone stared apprehensively at Ed and Zuko.

"Why are you looking at us like we are crazy?" Zuko demanded.

"About Sozin's Comet," Aang said innocently after Ed and Zuko withdrew their attack poses. "I was actually gonna wait to fight the Fire Lord until after it came.

"What!"

"After?" Zuko and Ed said shocked at the same time.

"I'm not ready." Aang put simply. Ed could see a vain throbbing on Zuko's forehead.

"So, you all knew Aang was going to wait?"

"I didn't!" Ed felt a little betrayed. "Why the hell didn't you tell me about this?"

"It was after the invasion. You were unconscious." Katara replied.

"You could've told me after I woke up!"

"…We didn't think you cared." Aang said softly.

"Of course I care! What would make you think I didn't?"

"All you ever talk about is your home. It's like you don't want to be here." Toph offered bluntly.

"Don't get me wrong, I like you guys, but I'm homesick. I need to see my little brother."

"That's another thing. You always talk about your brother."

"And what's wrong with that?" Ed shot back. "He's my only brother."

"Yeah…but you seem obsessed. He's just-"

"Don't you dare insult Alphonse!" Ed's body was shaking, and his eyes were filled with hatred.

"I wasn't going to. I think you're acting a little-"

"Don't call me short!"

"I'm not. I'm just saying, he seems to tie you down."

"Shut up, you little blind freak! He does not tie me down; I need him just as much as he needs me!" No one dared to interrupt Toph and Ed's shouting.

"You can still function without him."

"You don't know what you're talking about, you bi-! No. You are jealous. You don't know what it feels like to have your family torn apart, because you ran away. I bet your parents hate you. Your own family hates you! You have nothing left." Everyone stared at Ed, silently and full of disbelief. They turned their heads to Toph, who was starting to chuckle.

"Crazy, you got it all wrong. You are jealous of me because I had the choice to run away. You're just an orphan; you don't have any parents to run away from. I can feel your heart rate rising; even you know I'm right." It was true, Ed didn't have parents to run away from. If his mother were still alive, he would never run away from her. He was never going to run away again. He would not run from the stupid girl that stood before him.

"Get out! I should've never involved myself in this country's affairs." They made no move to exit. "Leave! All you care about is messing around instead of taking the comet seriously. If you don't care about the fate of the world, then neither do I." Ed spat as his face scrunched with anger. Slowly, the group started to back away and held their heads low as they started to leave. "Not you!" Ed pointed to Zuko. Cautiously, Zuko approached Ed.

"Um, yes?" Zuko stuttered, worried he would be the next victim of Ed's wrath.

"Well, do you think I pounded enough sense into them?" Ed's red face was starting to fade back to normal.

"You mean you did that on purpose?" Zuko looked surprised.

"Not exactly. I'm still pissed at Toph, but I'll have plenty of time for payback later."

"Yeah, you were pretty terrifying. I think they'll take this more seriously now."

"Trust me, I meant every word about my brother. Toph will pay."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Ed replied with a sick and twisted smile. "Never mind. Just don't get me involved. So, you really miss your brother." It was a statement that made a large frown scrawl across Ed's face.

"Yeah. I miss him more than anything. He's probably worried about me; he might even think I'm dead, for all I know."

"Sometimes I wish I had a younger sibling…"

"Isn't Azula…?"

"Yeah. A sibling that doesn't try to kill me would be nice." Ed and Zuko both let out a forced laugh. "Well, I'm going to help with training. Are you coming?"

"No. I'll be here, plotting my revenge." Zuko shrugged his shoulders and left; Ed fell asleep not too long after.

* * *

"Ed!" Zuko woke the slumbering boy. "Have you seen Aang? We looked for him everywhere."

"Eh? Two more minutes." Ed moved his hand like he was swatting at a pesky fly.

"Don't make me use force."

"Al, no. Mustang can wait five minutes." Ed began to snore and drool dribbled out of his mouth.

"I warned you…Hey! Shorty!" Ed's fierce golden eyes snapped open.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PIPSQUEAK SO SMALL EVEN INSECTS CAN'T SEE HIM!?"

"Good, you're awake. Let's go, Aang's missing."

"I'M NOT A SHRI- Wait? Aang's gone?"

"Yes. Come on, we're going to find him." The group climbed onto Appa; Ed made sure to sit as far away from Toph as possible, so he could diabolically plot his payback in peace.

* * *

"Zuko, remind me again why we're following a strange blind creature."

"We already told you, if it can't find Aang through scent, we have to find my uncle to face my father.

"Yeah, but what's your uncle going to do about it?"

"He's one of the most powerful firebenders around, I'm sure he can come up with something." Ed nodded, and his jaw nearly dropped when he saw an enormous, but crumbling, wall.

"What's that?" Ed had never seen the wall of Brigg's, but this was how he imagined it looked; huge and imposing.

"Ba Sing Se. Uncle must be in there somewhere." They landed beyond the wall and hastily set up camp. Ed was glad to finally get off Appa and stretched his legs. It had been a long day, so he tried to find a comfortable place to sleep. He should've figured he wasn't going to be allowed to sleep peacefully…

A wall of fire erupted around the kids in a ring, which successfully trapped them. A group of elderly strangers appeared through the flames.

"Well, look who's here!" A senile looking old man snorted and laughed.

"Wha?" Ed mumbled stupidly, but instinctively clapped his hands in defense. The old coot was most likely a threat.

"Bumi!" Sokka shouted with rejoice. Ed calmed down when Sokka shouted the name; he obviously knew these geezers. Without much conviction, Ed stood up and went over to a smooth boulder. He sat down and gazed with unwavering eyes as the kids in the group reunited with the newcomers. There was plenty of hugging and small talking, which caused an unpleasant sensation to tug at his heart. Everyone was happy and jovial with their reunions. The only one who wasn't able to reunite with anyone was Ed. He was still trapped here with no one to talk to. Even forever angst-ridden Zuko seemed to be happy as he was led to his uncle's tent.

Ed sat on the boulder and drew various circles in the ground with one of his automail fingers. He covered them with dirt after each circle was complete so he could start drawing another one. The last circle he drew was identical to Alphonse's blood seal. Angrily, Ed kicked at the dirt and destroyed all evidence of his doodles. Looking up, Ed recognized one of the men and walked over to him.

"Hey! You're that guy!" Zuko was standing next to the familiar looking man. "You're the one that broke me out of prison." The man smiled and Zuko gasped at the man.

"Uncle?" So this man was Zuko's uncle? That's why Ed had thought he recognized Zuko.

"Destiny is a strange thing." Ed frowned at that stupid complicated word; destiny.

"What's our destiny today?" Sokka asked. They had clearly been talking about this subject before Ed interrupted them.

"What do you think it is?" Zuko's uncle seemed to emanate wisdom and Ed couldn't help but feel deep respect towards him.

"I think that even though we don't know where Aang is, we need to do everything we can to stop the airship fleet."

"Psh." Ed interjected. "You think you were born for the sole purpose of stopping an air fleet? That's ridiculous!"

"What do you mean?"

"You weren't born for any specific purpose. No one is destined to do a single thing. Everything doesn't happen for a reason; it just happens. Destiny doesn't control your lives and actions, your mind does. We control our own choices, not some stupid destiny."

"You aren't going to help us?" Sokka frowned and sounded hurt.

"It's not like my _destiny_ is telling me to. But, I will dictate my own choices. I _am_ going to help all of you save this land. Then I _will_ return home." He was met with approving nods and smiles.

"Let's go." A middle aged man with a sword similar to Sokka's led them to a large creature called an eel hound. After they said their goodbyes, Ed gave General Iroh a deep, respectful bow, and they mounted the strange beast.

* * *

The sky turned an eerie red color as the magnificent comet appeared and illuminated the sky. It looked like it could make impact with earth at any minute. The sun was even outshone by the magnificent fireball streaming across the sky.

"It's amazing." Ed said quietly. "I bet Al would've liked to see it." Ed glanced over Toph. She had been right in a way; he did talk about his brother a lot, but that was not a bad thing.

The large airships slowly ascended and started to move away. Quickly, Toph shot the group on top of a nearby airship with earth bending, and the four quickly recovered from the harsh landing.

"Sokka and Suki, you take control of this airship. Toph and me will take care of the others."

"What?" Sokka asked quizzically.

"We can easily take out the airships with alchemy and her metal bending. Just make sure this ship gets to the fire freak quickly." Sokka nodded and Ed grabbed Toph by the wrist and carefully jumped onto the next airship, barely making it. This time, the landing was severe and Ed had to rub his sore leg to ease the pain.

"What are you planning?" Toph asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing." Ed replied as he gritted his teeth.

"Liar." Ed released her hand when he remembered she could sense his heartbeat.

"Whatever. We need to-" Ed stopped when a vast amount of searing fire blinded Ed. He looked over and saw the ground was on fire, coming out of the first airship like a large blowtorch.

"That's a lot of fire, isn't it?" Ed turned and saw the orange blaze reflected in the blind girl's eyes. The ship that Sokka infiltrated turned and suddenly smashed into the airship they were on, causing a mass ripple with the rest of the fleet. The airship groaned in protest and leaned dangerously to the side, causing Ed's balance to fail. Soldiers popped out of the trapdoor and advanced towards the two intruders.

"Stay back." Ed warned and pushed Toph behind him.

"Wait, what are you-?" Ed charged and attacked the soldiers, while taking care to not push them off the side. The zeppelin creaked some more and violently jerked to the side. This time, when Ed's balance was off, a soldier rammed into him and he lost his footing. Gravity flung him over the side and he yelled as he plunged to certain death.

"Ed!" He could hear Toph yelling after him.

* * *

As much as automail sucked, it sometimes had its advantages, like now. Ed was clinging on the side of the airship to a beam that helped support the vessel. He wedged his foot on top of another one and desperately looked for something to draw a circle with; he couldn't risk clapping his hands.

His side felt like needles were jabbing into him, and his shirt was wet. Ed looked at his side and discovered he was covered into a combination of sweat and blood. He touched his side and found the wound, his flesh fingers were covered with blood. Carefully, Ed drew a circle, re-supplying his drawing material often, onto the red surface. Once it was done, Ed touched the array and created a door just big enough to crawl through and entered the airship.

Ed made his way to the top and found the trapdoor. He tried to open it, but something heavy was jamming it on top.

"Where's Ed?" Sokka's muffled voiced asked in a panicked tone.

"He…He's gone."

"Gone?" Suki asked.

"He defended me, even after what I said to him. I never got to apologize…"

"What happened?" Sokka still couldn't seem to accept the fact Ed was dead.

"He attacked the soldiers, and just…fell off…he really did care, after all." Toph's voice was quiet and there was a long pause.

"Ed wouldn't want us to grieve him, he'd want us to complete the mission. Let's go." Sokka sounded assertive and the loud banging of their footsteps faded away to nothing.

"Crap." Ed cursed to himself as the airship spiraled out of control and crashed to the ground. He managed to crawl out of the debris, only to discover the air was full of ash and smoke. Ed coughed and struggled to breath, but all he could do was watch as the other airships lost control and fell out of the sky. He looked up and saw pillars of rock exploding at random, and soon realized it was the fault of Aang.

"He's alive." Ed coughed out, happy the boy had returned to finish the fight. It was hard to see what was going on, and Ed felt like he was going to pass out at any minute from the lack of clean oxygen.

The sky suddenly filled with bright red and blue light. "What the hell?" Ed groaned. The red light grew bigger until the blue was barely even a sliver. "This place is messed up." He whispered this time. The bright blue light burst and overtook the landscape, and the red light completely vanished.

The ocean started to rise unnaturally and Ed had a gut feeling it was the cause of powerful water bending. He looked around for anything to hold on before he was swept under the powerful water and luckily found a large wooden beam and latched onto it for dear life. The ocean put out the devastating fire and the waters receded. The orange sky turned back to blue as the comet trailed away from view, ending its visit until the next one hundred years came around.

After the fire was extinguished, Ed sighed a breath of relief; they had won and the air was much easier to breath. Even though the water had left, Ed still clutched the wood like it was a lifeline.

"He should be around here somewhere." A somber voice spoke after Ed had been laying on the beam for an hour. "He fell somewhere over there." Ed fluttered his eyes open and saw four kids walking about forty yards away from where he was resting.

"Did we win?" He shouted hoarsely to his friends, who zipped around quickly to see who had spoken.

"Ed?" They asked unbelievingly and dashed toward Ed to the best of their ability. Sokka was limping over with Toph and Suki supporting him. "Ed!"

Tiredly, Ed stood up, ready to greet them.

"How are you alive?" Toph questioned. "You fell!"

"It takes more than that to kill me. Good to know you cared so much."

"Of course I care! I thought you died trying to save me, you idiot!" Ed knew his revenge against Toph was complete.

"Oh? So now you know how it feels to be torn away from someone you care about?" Ed smiled playfully and watched Toph's confused face.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said those things."

"Toph's apologizing and Ed's smiling…" Sokka said as he stroked his chin. "It's the end of the world!"

* * *

The never-ending war was finally over. Zuko gave his speech and called all of the troops out of occupied areas. A peace treaty was passed, and everyone in the courtyard cheered at the new amazing news. Firelord Zuko was going to change the world for the better, alongside Avatar Aang. After the speech was finished, Ed joined up with the group, who were currently hugging. Ed went back a step, but was interrupted by Katara's soothing voice.

"Come on, Ed. You're a part of our group, and that means group hugs." Ed rolled his eyes and grudgingly walked over, but accepted the physical contact.

"Aang? Can I talk to you?" Ed asked when the group dispersed.

"Sure."

"Was that glowing light you?"

"Yeah. The Avatar state. I'm a full fledged Avatar now."

"Please tell me the truth. Are you really composed of many human lives?"

Aang had a constipated look on his face as he searched for the right words. "Not exactly. I do have hundreds of past lives."

"Right." Ed was still skeptical, but he was also desperate. "So their energy is a part of you."

"Yes." Aang smiled.

"And can you use this energy?" Ed's heart was starting to beat faster.

"That's what the Avatar state is."

"One last thing. Can you help me return home?"

* * *

The last rune was drawn with precision on the large specially designed array. Ed made sure each of his calculations were correct and prepared to do the transmutation.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I hope I never see any of you again." His friends seemed to understand and nodded. They had already said their goodbyes and watched as Aang went into the Avatar state.

"Are you ready for this? Are you sure it's going to work?" Aang asked nervously.

"I hope so. Just keep in mind where your soul belongs; you don't want to accidentally end up with me. With my luck, this will probably rebound, I'm just a cursed alchemist, after all." Ed smiled and clapped his hands, using Aang's past lives energies as a sacrifice to the Gate.

Ed allowed himself to deconstruct, and thought of the place he truly belonged. He landed in a white room dominated by his own door of truth. He felt relieved and knew millions of little black cords would wrap around him soon and pull him back home.

In the corner of his eye, he saw another large grey object. He turned his head slowly and saw an emaciated person with long blonde hair sitting by the door.

"Al?" Ed's eyes widened. He had searched for his brother's body for the longest time, and now he had found it. "Alphonse! Come with me!" Ed dashed to the measly figure, but was restrained by the black hands. "No! Brother!" Ed cried out, and the person stood up.

"I can't go with you. You're not my soul." Ed's heart skipped a beat when he was dragged into the void and the door slammed. This wasn't right! He didn't spend all this time looking for a way to restore Al, just to be rejected that chance. He struggled and punched the door open.

"Alphonse! One day soon, I'm coming back to get you, no matter what! Just you wait!" The door slammed shut again and Ed was deconstructed once more.

* * *

Ed woke up in a daze when a foul stench invaded his nose. He opened his eyes and discovered he was surrounded by something large, green, and smelly.

"Help me." A pathetic voice pleaded. Ed turned his head and saw a familiar sight; a grotesque green face morphing into another face.

"Envy?" Ed asked shocked, still obviously in a daze.

"We made it." Ed looked to his side and saw another familiar face.

"Ling?" This wasn't right, it was like no time had passed here. Ed knew he was gone for a few months, but it was like Amestris had been frozen while he was gone. It was both sick and relieving. Ed had been tormented from not seeing anyone he knew for a long time, but everyone here had thought he was missing for only a day. Sometimes the Truth was just plain cruel.

"Brother!" Ed snapped his head into attention and his heart skipped several beats when the voice yelled.

"Al! Alphonse!" Ed ignored the fact he was next to Envy, and didn't care he was in a mysterious underground place. He even ignored the bastardly man who looked suspiciously like Hohenheim. Only one thing mattered… "Al!" Ed ran and hugged his little brother with ferocity, hoping he would never have to leave him again.

"I missed you so much! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have made you worry like that."

"You were only gone a day, brother…"

"It could've been much longer!…I know I don't say this much, but in case anything happens…I love you."

"Brother? Are you okay?" Ed smiled widely.

"Never better."

_Fin_


End file.
